Fresh Beet Pasta & Sweet Potato Ravioli with Sage, Brown Butter & Blue Cheese

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

OK – I am not gonna lie.  This beet pasta almost broke my spirit.  I tried a while back to make a beet-based gnocchi and all I got was about 4 pounds of magenta spackling paste that got on EVERYTHING & stuck to everything like a horny terrier & dyed everything it touched pink.  I added so much flour to un-stickify it that I knew the gnocchi would come out as light & fluffy as pool balls.  It was very disheartening & I threw the dough away without even getting to the gnocchi stage.   Actually – that is not true.  I did make a small batch & served it to two friends.  It didn’t taste bad but they were very heavy & even worse – looked like chunks of raw meat on the plate or some kind of dog treat – like THESE –  that I had dressed up with a nice sauce.  It was pretty nasty.

Still – I’ve had such success with the spinach & my magical kale pasta – I thought I could pull this off with the same ease.

I could not.

I looked over a few beet pasta recipes online & made some mental notes & then decided to basically wing it – based on my vast pasta making experience.  In general – folks seemed to recommend a 1-2 cups pureed beets to 3-4 cups flour ratio with three eggs thrown in for good measure.  I started with a solid two cups of puree, only added two eggs & used a bit more than four cups of flour to get this result:

I was very excited!  It seemed to come together so easily.  And it was such a vibrant magenta, too!!  But it was during the rolling out process that everything went to Hell.  It was VERY, VERY wet inside that innocent looking ball & it looked like raw meat getting pressed through the pasta-maker gears.  Gross.  And – I am guesstimating – but I think I must have added at least 3 more cups of flour to the dough in the various stages of getting it from that ball there to this:

Doesn’t it look like giant slabs of bacon?  And it made a FUCKLOAD!  That had to be 8-10 servings of pasta, conservatively.  At any rate – I only used about 1/4 of this recipe to make ravioli.  I made the other 3/4 into fettuccine.

It took FOREVER to manipulate the flour & moisture levels to the point that the pasta could be pressed this thin.  I kept thinking as I made it – nobody who hasn’t succeeded in making regular or spinach pasta a few times (at least) should ever attempt this.  And I couldn’t help but fear that all that flour – that seemed to be twice the level others used – was going to result in a starchy, thick pasta that destroyed any hint of beet – both in color and taste.

The GOOD news is – it made the most beautiful ravioli ever.  I can’t say there was a beet flavor to the pasta but there isn’t really a spinach taste in the spinach pasta.  It really all seems to be about color.  The ravioli held their color pretty well.  The fettucine did not – in that it faded to this color when boiled:

That might even be a tad more vibrant than it really was.

I started with these beets:

I roasted three in the oven at 400 degrees to set aside to add to the pasta later.  I boiled the rest for an hour & pureed them for the noodles.  I think the roasted ones – when chopped & added to the pink pasta – will bleed out into that pasta & restore the heavy magenta color it originally had.  We will see.  But this blog is about the ravioli.

Know this – I made two kinds.  One with the beet pasta that was nearly the death of me & one with leftover wonton skins I had in the fridge.  If you want the EASIEST ravioli recipe on the planet – just make the sweet potato puree & saged brown butter – and you will be blown away by how easy & delicious – AND LIGHT – these are.  If you are more adventurous – the beet pasta makes phenomenally beautiful ravioli.  I did not effectively capture their beauty here.  I was still feeling a bit beaten up by the pasta-making process & wanted to get on with EATING this shit.  And I can report – they really were pretty awesomely delicious.  But – no reason to slave over beet pasta.  Just make regular pasta – or use the dang wontons.  You are not trying to run a food blog.  Give yourself a break, for Chrissakes!  🙂

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Fresh Beet Pasta & Sweet Potato Ravioli with Sage, Brown Butter & Blue Cheese

INGREDIENTS

2 cups beet puree (4 medium beets?) PLUS 3 more for roasting (optional)

2 eggs

flour – and lots of it – potentially 8 cups

1 tsp sea salt

Sweet Potato Puree

1.5 – 2 lbs sweet potatoes (or yams)

2 small onions – diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

wonton wrappers (6 per serving) – if NOT doing the beet pasta

Sauce

Lots of butter (12 or more TBS)

3 TBS chopped fresh sage

olive oil

1-2 whisked egg whites (optional) – to seal the ravioli.  Water works, too.

Pepper to taste

Blue Cheese (or feta or even shaved Parmesan if blue overwhelms you) as garnish

DIRECTIONS

Roast your yams (having pierced them with a fork several times) in a 400 degree oven.  If using – you can also roast three beets at the same time by covering them with a small amount of olive oil & wrapping them in foil.  Sweet potatoes AND beets should be fork tender in a bout an hour.  You can open the foil around the beets for the last twenty minutes to get a more roasted appearance – if it suits you.  Be sure the sweet potatoes are soft in the center.  Remove from oven & COOL.  When cool – peel the yams & slip the skin & tops off of the roasted beets.  Set aside.

The puree beets – cut the greens off ABOVE the meat of the beet.  Leave the beet in tact & boil like that to retain as much color as possible.  Boil for about an hour or until fork tender.  Drain & cool.

Heat some olive oil in a pan & saute the onions until they begin to brown.  5 minutes or so.  Set aside.

Mash the sweet potatoes with the cinnamon, nutmeg, grated Parmesan & salt to taste.  Do this in a food processor if you have one & get these guys REALLY smooth.  Once creamy – add sauteed onions & set aside.

Peel the boiled beets in the sink – again basically by squeezing them.  The outer skin slips right off.  Press the base of the greens off, too.  Put these beets in a food processor & puree.  The rest of the instructions are the same as for regular noodles – with the exception that you put the beet puree in the flour well with the eggs.  I’d start with a well made of 6 cups of flour.

Copy & paste this link

https://delightfuldeliciousdelovelyblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/homemade-pasta-fettucini-noodles-23/

to view the guide to making plain pasta noodles – or got to http://www.delightfuldeliciousdelovely.com & search for “homemade noodles.”  Again – please note: plain or spinach noodles are WAY easier than this beet version so, if you are trying the beet version, BE PATIENT.  This dough WILL come together but the wet to dry ingredient ratio is trickier.

Once you have noodles pressed flat (or once you have your wonton package open) – use a cooking cutter or large glass to cut the pasta into circles (bigger – like 2 inches across or more – are easier to work with).  No need to cut wontons into circles but you certainly can.  Get a small bowl of water (or some whisked egg white) & a pastry brush (I just used my fingers).  Place a circle of dough (or a store-bought easy-peasy wonton) on the work space.  Put about a tablespoon of sweet potato mix in there.  Wet the rim with a brush or your fingers with either water or egg white then top with a second round (or wet & fold your wonton) & seal.  You will get better at guessing how much filling these ravioli can take as you get the hang of it.  You can seal with your hands or the tines of a fork.  I found the pasta & wontons too thin to really seal with a fork.

Melt the butter in a pan over high flame.  Once hot – add chopped sage.  Saute about 1-2 minutes or JUST until the butter begins to brown.  Add a little S&P.  Remove from heat.

Boil water.  Once boiling (but not rapidly.  We don’t want to beat up the fragile ravioli) – drop the ravioli in.  They will cook quickly – likely less than two minutes.  They begin to float up when they are ready.  Remove with a slotted spoon & put some on each plate.  Spoon some brown sage butter over the ravioli.  Top with some chopped roasted beets (if you are using) and a small quantity of blue cheese (go LIGHT) or feta or Parmesan.  Crack some pepper atop that & serve!

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Indian Lentil Soup with Fresh Fenugreek & Harissa Spiced Tomatoes

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

Yeah – it’s 95 degrees outside here today – and so, of course, I decide to make comfort food.  Still, this comes together very easily & is very flavorful – and makes a big pot that you can serve – or freeze for another day.  Like – an actually cold day when eating a nice thick bowl of hot lentil soup would sound appealing, perhaps.

My first note on this recipe is that you should not be thrown by the fresh fenugreek or the harissa.  You can use chili powder instead of harissa & I will get into the fenugreek thing below.  Basically – fenugreek in all forms – is optional in this recipe.    I just liked the exotic title those two ingredients presented.

I made this because I had a bunch of fresh fenugreek from my Indian market & wanted to use it before it got more wilted than it had already become.  Fenugreek looks like this

photo credit

And here is what I found online about it:

Fenugreek leaves  = holba = methi leaves   Pronunciation:  FEHN-yoo-greek   Notes:   This mildly bitter herb is believed to have medicinal properties.   Dried leaves, either whole or ground, are called kasuri methi, and they’re a good substitute for fresh.  Look for fresh or dried leaves in Indian markets.  Substitutes:  celery leaves.

I also saw someone suggest watercress as a substitute.  Watercress sounded closer to me.  Anyway – don’t be thrown by its inclusion here.  If you cannot find it – blow it off.  There is plenty of other flavor going on here.  Also – I used lots more carrots than your typical lentil soup recipe – basically to make it more filling for fewer calories.  And – I used ghee (clarified butter) but you can use olive oil, vegetable oil or a mix of these with butter.  Also – I used MASOOR DAL here –

masoor dal = masar dal  = mussoor dal = masur dal = pink lentil   Notes:   These are skinned and split masoor lentils.  They’re salmon-colored, cook quickly, and turn golden and mushy when cooked.   Substitutes:  red lentils OR yellow lentils OR green lentils (hold their shape better when cooked)  

but any lentil will do.  Also – I use a lot of spice – more than most other recipes you will find.  Feel free to start with less & add more to your own taste.

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Indian Lentil Soup with Fresh Fenugreek & Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups lentils

1 medium onion – diced

8 carrots – sliced

3 celery stalks – sliced

3 inch piece of fresh ginger – peeled & diced fine – or several TBS of jarred minced ginger

2 tomatoes diced

2 large jalapenos – seeded & diced (less or none if you don’t like spicy food)

1 bunch fresh fenugreek (optional) – leaves removed & chopped (alternative – use celery leaves or watercress – or none of them)

6 garlic cloves (or less) – diced fine

2 tsp salt

1 TBS ground pepper

2 TBS curry powder (I used red curry powder but any variation is fine)

1 TBS turmeric

1 TBS Harissa (spicy!) or 1 TBS ground red chili powder (or less if you hate spice)

3 TBS Ghee or oil or butter or combination

1 tsp asafetida (optional) or 1 tsp either garlic or onion powder or a combo

1 TBS cumin SEEDS

1 TBS fenugreek SEEDS (optional)

1 tsp harissa OR 1 tsp red chili powder (yes, in addition)

fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the lentils pick out any bits or twigs or foreign matter you may see.   I used 7 cups of water to my 2.5 cups lentils – but you might be using a lentil that needs more – or less.  Just add water as needed to keep them covered in moisture.  Bring to a boil then lower the flame, add the chopped FRESH fenugreek leaves (or watercress or celery leaves) – if using – cover & simmer for as long as your lentil packaging suggests for doneness.  Stir occasionally & be sure your water doesn’t boil away.

While the lentils simmer – chop & dice & prepare all the ingredients that require that.

Heat 3 TBS of ghee or oil or butter & add onion, garlic, ginger, celery, jalapenos, curry powder, turmeric & 1 TBS harissa or red chili powder.  Stir for a minute then add carrots.  Stir another minute.  Add all this to your simmering lentils and return the empty pan to the heat.  Add 2 more TBS of ghee (or oil or butter) and when hot add the cumin seeds & the asafetida & fenugreek SEEDS (if using) and 1 tsp of additional harissa/red chili powder (if using).  Once the cumin starts popping (this happens pretty fast – less than a minute) – add the chopped tomatoes.  Be careful – as the oil will spit at you when you add the wet tomatoes.  Saute these for 2-3 minutes – until the tomatoes soften.  Add all this to the simmering lentils.

Add the S&P (more or less to taste).

Simmer just until the carrots & lentils are tender.  Add more water if needed throughout this recipe or cook off broth you feel may be in excess.  Serve with fresh chopped cilantro.

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Taco Cupcakes with Chipotle Fish & Mango Salsa or Garlic Lime Fish or Spicy Soyrizo or Rustic Corn

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

So – I really enjoyed the results I got from the lasagna cupcakes – and thought, “Why not try other savory cupcakes?”  There really is no end to what you can prepare in the cupcake pan.  And what a great way to make lots of little freezable, single-serving sized portions!  So – since I had taco fixings on hand – I thought I’d experiment there.  Here are the four versions that I made but do not feel you need to follow these very loose recipes much at all.  It’s kinda like a Color Me Mine kitchen project where you can put anything into these taco cupcakes that suits your fancy.  I made three different kinds using wontons (as I did with the lasagna cupcakes) and then one version using corn tortillas.  The tortilla version came out a tad more rustic in appearance because I used tortillas cut round with a cookie cutter & therefore they had no outer shell to hold them together.  The others came out a bit more elegantly – exactly as the lasagna versions had.

Here are the corn tortilla taco cupcakes:

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TACO CUPCAKES

Ingredients

corn tortillas OR wonton skins

Grated cheese (I used pepper jack)

Salsa – (I used mango-peach salsa and regular salsa and salsa verde)

Fish (I used tilapia)

Soyrizo or chorizo

1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo

Olive oil

honey

limes

1/2 poblano pepper seeded then charred over your stove burner & diced

BLACK BEANS

1 15oz can black beans – drained & rinsed

1/4 onion – diced

1 carrot – diced

1 celery stalk – diced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup tomato paste

GARNISHES (your choice) – Anything you’d put in a taco –

Guacamole (recipe below)

Avocado

Cabbage or lettuce – chopped

Diced Tomatoes

Cilantro

Sour Cream

Grated cheese

sliced jalapeno pepper

DIRECTIONS

Chipotle Fish

In your blender or food processor – puree

1 can chipotle in adobo

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp each S&P

Marinate your fish (or half your fish) in this for an hour or more.

Garlic-Lime Fish

Place your fish (or half if you are doing a chipotle version, too) in a single layer in a marinating dish.  Squeeze the juice of two limes over it & add a lot of sliced garlic.  I used about 6 cloves.  You can go lighter or heavier.  Sprinle with a little S&P – toss a bit & let marinate for about an hour.

Black Beans

In 1 TBS olive oil, saute the onion, carrot & celery until they begin to soften.  Add the can of drained black beans, cumin & tomato paste.  Stir around for about 5-10 minutes.  Remove them from heat & set aside.

Chipotle & Garlic Lime Fish

Remove from marinade & cook either on a grill or in a grill pan or frying pan sprayed with a nonstick spray – keeping the two flavors (Chipotle & the Garlic-Lime) separate.  Once cooked through – break up into smaller pieces.  Set aside.

ASSEMBLY

Spray your cupcake pan with nonstick spray.  Line each cup with a square wonton or with a corn tortilla cut to the size of the cupcake hole – either with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass.  I used a cookie cutter & used a smaller circle for the first two layers then the larger one for the top layer in both the tortilla version & cut only the top layer in the wonton version.

I layered the wonton versions three ways:

______________________________________________

CHIPOTLE FISH & MANGO-PEACH SALSA

Wonton Papers

Chipotle fish

mango-peach salsa

__________________________________________________

GARLIC-LIME FISH

Wonton Papers

grated pepper jack

Garlic lime fish

salsa verde

____________________________________

SPICY SOYRIZO

Wonton Papers

blacks beans

soyrizo

poblano peppers

hot salsa

pepper jack

______________________________________

RUSTIC CORN TORTILLA TACO CUPCAKES

corn tortillas

pepper jack

mango-peach AND hot red salsa

black beans

chipotle fish

________________________________________________

So – in each cupcake tin – layer a small amount of the ingredients you selected (or other variation).  Then add another square wonton or round corn tortilla.  Another layer of ingredients and then top with a large rounded wonton wrapper or a larger corn tortilla disc.   Top everything with a little more salsa & top all of them with pepper jack cheese.  In the case of the wonton versions – press the protruding wonton corners down into the topping so they look like little flat bundles.

Cook in the oven for 18-25 minutes – checking frequently to be sure they do not burn.  Remove from the oven & let cool for at least 5 minutes before trying to remove them from the pan.  The corn tortilla ones will naturally be harder to get out of the pan.  Maybe use a large serving spoon to assist in the lifting.

Top with either: sliced avocado or guacamole or more salsa or cilantro or more cheese or jalapeno peppers – whatever sounds good to you.

GUACAMOLE

1 large avocado

lime

Salt

Remove the skin & pit from the avocado.  Retain the pit.  In a bowl – chop the avocado very fine.  Squeeze a little lime juice in there & add a little salt.  Mix it up until it become creamy but some small chunks of avocado remain.  Taste. Add more salt or lime to taste.  Once it tastes good to you – put the pit back into the guacamole.  It will keep it from turning brown.

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VERY GARLICKY Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

I have always wanted to try my hand at making pickles.  Sometimes I see pickling cucumbers, buy them & then watch them rot as I keep forgetting to buy mason jars.  Or – I Google recipes & get intimidated by the canning procedure.  Or both.  I recently saw these cutie little cocktail cucumbers at Costco & couldn’t resist the urge – again – to attempt making pickles.  I had no idea if they would lend themselves well to the process but the money investment was small so I went for it.  I then Googled a bunch of different recipes & by tweaking a few – I came up with this RIDICULOUSLY easy pickle recipe.  I had two old pickle jars in my cabinet & I used them – not mason jars.  These took 24 hours in the fridge – just sitting there – and they were pickles!  Really tasty, crunchy pickles!!!!!    I recommend this recipe VERY highly – both or its ease & for the novelty of making your own Goddamn pickles overnight.  I suspect any cucumbers would work.  These guys (cocktail cucumbers) were pretty small & quartered into very slim little spears.  If you use full-sized cucumbers – maybe slice them into discs rather than spears.  And any old seal-able jar will work.  And by seal-able – I really just mean with a screw top.  The fact – you could make these in ANY container – Tupperware – even a bowl.  So – go get some cucumbers and give this one a go!

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Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs cucumbers (I used cocktail cucumbers – but you can try any variety you find available) – cut into spears or 1/4″ chips.

8 garlic cloves – 4 quartered, 4 left whole

8-16 sprigs fresh dill

2 TBS coriander SEEDS (not ground)

2 TBS sea (or Kosher) salt

2 TBS sugar

1 1/3 cups white vinegar

water

Jars for containing the pickles

DIRECTIONS

NOTE – these are very garlicky!!!  If you don’t LOVE garlic – cut the garlic back a lot.

In a sauce pan – heat the vinegar & add the salt, sugar & coriander seeds.  Heat, stirring, just until both the sugar & salt dissolve.  Try to get this done before the vinegar gets hot.  If it gets very hot – let it cool before pouring over your cucumbers.

Put your cucumbers in the pickling container (a mason jar, old pickle jar – or other container with a water-tight lid) – with the garlic & the fresh dill.  Pour the vinegar mix over the cucumbers.  Add water to fill the container to the top.  Seal the container & chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  Try one.  ENJOY!

These should last in your fridge (in a sealed container) for up to one month.

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Lasagna Cupcakes with Arrabiata & Homemade Ricotta

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

See that picture above?  Yeah – that’s micro cilantro on there – not basil.  I paid $5 for a container of micro cilantro & intend to get my money’s worth – even if I have to garnish dessert recipes with it!  I don’t care.   Anyway –

These lasagna cupcakes are super easy to make – once you have assembled the ingredients.  You can also modify this recipe endlessly to reflect your own favorite lasagna recipes.  The only real NEWS here is the concept of using a cupcake pan & using wonton skins instead of pasta.  I am certain this can be made using actual pasta or adding meat or with a white sauce – whatever.  Also – I tried this two ways – 1) leaving the wonton skins square & folding them down over the top creating little closed baskets and 2) cutting the wontons round with a cookie cutter so that they were layered more like a Neapolitan.  The result was two more different little lasagnas than I would have guessed.  The square wontons resulted in a cupcake far easier to remove from the tin (the round ones needed more cooling time to be removed & still retain their shape).  Also – the added wonton quantity in just keeping the squares in tact made those cupcakes more bready – for lack of a better word.  The round ones allowed the flavor of the sauce to come through more powerfully – primarily because there was less wonton flavor competing with it.

Also – if you use a jarred sauce & store-bought ricotta – you could assemble a tray of these in the time it takes your oven to heat up & then cook these cook in under twenty minutes.  They are elegant & different & EASY and pretty and delicious.  This recipe below made 24 cupcakes.  Each person I served had at least two.  Serve with a nice salad & some crusty bread & a box of wine & you are good to go!  This recipe is broken into three parts: sauce, ricotta & cupcakes.  If you are using store-bought sauce & ricotta – buy two jars for the 24 cupcakes & 1 lb of ricotta.  Also  – I used some canned tomatoes in this recipe because I already had them.  I will try to avoid using them in the future.  Read why HERE.

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Lasagna Cupcakes with Arrabiata & Homemade Ricotta

ARRABIATA (Spicy Tomato Sauce)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil

1 TBS crushed red pepper (for a very spicy sauce.  Use LESS if you want less heat)

20 cloves of garlic – 1/2 minced, 1/2 left whole

3 oz tomato paste (1/2 small can)

26 oz chopped tomatoes (preferably NOT canned but – maybe – POMI)

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 TBS dry oregano

3 sprigs fresh oregano

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan.  Saute all the garlic until the minced garlic begins to turn golden.  Add the tomato paste & stir over high heat for about a minute.  Lower the heat to medium & add the rest of the ingredients.  This sauce was very spicy with the full TBS of crushed red pepper – so ease into using the red pepper & add more according to your own palette & tolerance.  Bring this to a boil & then cover & lower heat to low & let simmer – the longer the better.  I made this a day in advance & refrigerated it overnight – letting the flavors blend – but this isn’t necessary.  Let it cool before assembling the cupcakes.

HOMEMADE RICOTTA

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon whole milk

2 cups buttermilk

5 TBS white vinegar

2 tsp salt

Cheesecloth

DIRECTIONS

Make this in two batches.  Divide the ingredients in half & do it in two batches.   For some reason – doing it all at once produces less ricotta.  Sounds crazy – but my friend tried & agreed.  Plus – the half batches are more manageable to dry in the cheesecloth.

DIRECTIONS

Heat half the milk & half the buttermilk in a pan.  When it just begins to bubble in the corners – turn off the heat.  Add half the salt & half the vinegar & stir.  With a slotted spoon – scoop out the curds that form until all that is left is the yellowish whey.  Alternatively – CAREFULLY pour the curdling milk through a cheesecloth-lined colander.  In either case – let it cool a bit & then wrap it up in cheesecloth and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.  Repeat with the other half of the ingredients.  Unwrap the ricotta from the cheesecloth & put in a bowl & set aside (or chill).

LASAGNA CUPCAKES

24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

2 packages of small wonton wrappers (about 2.5 inches square)

Ricotta cheese – 1 lb store-bought or the quantity from the recipe above

4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

4 large balls fresh mozzarella (preferably the sort sold in water) or 4 cups of another variation of mozzarella

4 cups pasta sauce (the recipe above or two jars)

Fresh basil

1 chopped tomato as garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 375

Spray your cupcake pans with a nonstick spray.  Place a wonton into each cup – letting the corners stick up & out.  OR – use a cookie cutter & cut the wontons into circles the correct size for your tray.  Layer with a little grated Parmesan, then ricotta then sauce.  Add another wonton – putting the corners in the opposite direction the first wonton was placed and press it down on the first layer.  Add another layer of Parmesan, ricotta and sauce & top with another wonton.  I used a round-cut wonton for this top layer even if I left the corners on for the first two layers.  Top with some sauce & then press the corners of the wontons down into the sauce so the cupcakes all stay “closed.”  Be sure a little sauce is covering the entire surface.  Top with a sliced disc of fresh mozzarella.

Put these in the oven & bake.  Check them at the 15 minute mark.  They should be done in between 15-18 minutes.  Remove from the oven & let sit & set & cool for five minutes.  Carefully run a knife around each cupcake & pop them out onto a serving dish.  Garnish with shredded fresh basil & some chopped fresh tomatoes (if you are using them).   If you used all rounded wontons in the Neapolitan style – let sit longer than 5 minutes as this version is more smooshy & fragile.  The squared wontons look prettier – as you get a nice golden “crust” around them but both version are delicious!

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Spicy Hoisin BBQ Salmon Tacos with Asian Slaw & Micro Cilantro

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

Again – I found myself with ingredients & the desire to create something unique from them.  I had some old salmon in the freezer & two giant bags of small corn tortillas and a fat ass.  What could a girl do with those ingredients?  Hmmmm…fish tacos & a smaller ass?  Tacos are a surprisingly good choice if you are hoping to have a healthy meal.  Three of the little taco-sized corn tortillas have about 100 calories – combined.  As long as you eschew the cheese and any sour cream or that Mexican Creme stuff (which is delicious) – you kinda can’t go wrong.  And you can even use those – in moderation – and still come out ahead of a sandwich or a salad with things like avocado & heavy dressing.  Also – if you serve them, as I did, with a giant quantity of steamed broccoli or other steamed vegetable (I flavored the broccoli on my plate with a little tempura dipping sauce) – you end up full & satisfied and hopeful that soon, the shadow cast by your ass in the late afternoon sun will become less conspicuous.

So – here is my recipe for Spicy Hoisin BBQ Salmon Tacos with Asian Slaw.  I had two pieces of salmon each about the size of a giant Snickers & didn’t even eat one of them in my three tacos.   So – I guess this amount of salmon might feed three people a light dinner.  Typically, the ratio is 1/2 pound fish per person – so – if serving others – you might want to keep that in mind.

Also -I used micro cilantro – which cost me $5 basically because it looks really pretty, makes my post sound more foodie & because I am trying to impress people & establish my cooking bona fides through smoke & mirrors & exotic sounding ingredients.  But $5 for garnish when a .69 cent bunch of regular cilantro is probably better tasting – is really just silliness.

More silliness?  NEW AGE DRINKS?   Such a supermarket staple that they needed an aisle marker the way bread, cereals, canned vegetables & dairy do?  Who are these folks with a new age thirst?    Are they coming right from yoga or an ashram or a Deepak Chopra reading?  I Googled it & got some Time magazine article that seemed to equate new age drinks with smaller distributor iced teas.   But Gelson’s seems to think both iced tea AND new age drinks need their own labels so – I’m lost.

Anyway – on to tacos!

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Spicy Hoisin BBQ Salmon Tacos with Asian Slaw

INGREDIENTS

Salmon (1/2 lb per person) – try to get wild caught – not farmed.

MARINADE

Hoisin sauce

Sambal Olek or Asian chili paste

honey

soy sauce

Asian Slaw

1/4 medium head cabbage – shredded fine

3 inches of daikon – cut into short matchsticks

4 scallions – sliced fine

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS black sesame seeds (optional – but they look pretty)

1 tsp black pepper

Chili Sauce

1/2 cup sambal olek

2 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS white sesame seeds (optional – but they look pretty)

Corn Tortillas (small taco size – if possible) – 3 or more per person

Micro cilantro or regular cilantro for garnish

lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

Put the salmon in a something to marinate it.  I used a freezer baggy.  I put the salmon in & then added a good amount (1/4 cup?) honey & the same amount of soy, sambal olek & hoisin sauce.  I sealed the bag, smooshed everything around in there & put in in the fridge all day.

For the slaw – blend the mayo, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar & pepper.  Mix the cabbage, scallions & daikon & then add the sauce.  Finally – add in the black sesame seeds – if you are using them.  Set aside – or chill if you made this in advance.

For the chili sauce – blend the sambal olek, sesame oil & white sesame seeds.  Set aside.

Remove the fish from the marinade but keep the marinade nearby in a bowl.  Grill your salmon a few minutes on each side over high heat.  I used a round grill pan.  I left the center of the salmon rare.  Feel free to poke into the salmon to check doneness – as you will break it up into small pieces later.  You may like your fish more cooked than I do.  Just eyeball it until you think it is ready. Return the cooked fish to the marinade.

Heat your tortillas on BOTH SIDES on a grill or in a frying pan or over your burners until they soften & just start to show browned patches.  Now it is time to assemble the tacos.  You can put a portion of fish (broken into small chunks) & slaw & tortillas on each plate & let folks assemble them themselves – or put everything out buffet style.  I was alone so I assembles the three tacos on my plate.  Easy.  Tortillas, slaw, fish, a drizzle of chili sauce, cilantro & a squeeze of lime.  Shove it in your face.  Enjoy!   PS – the slaw can be served as a side dish, too!

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Ranch Eggs at 54Twenty – A Hollywood Guestaurant

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

http://www.54twenty.com/

Attached to the Dixie Hollywood Motel – is a contemporary take on an old-school coffee shop – 54Twenty (the address is 5420 Hollywood Blvd).  I used to go to whatever this place was called back in the mid-eighties & get just-adequate Denver omelets.  It was cheap, I could walk to it and, well, that’s about it.  I don’t think it was called Angel’z back then – which is what it has been more recently.  Angel’z closed, it seems, and now in its place is 54Twenty.

I never went to Angel’z.  The exterior was far too depressing:

Photo from Hunch

But – when the joynt got a recent face lift making its look conspicuously hipper – I decided I should give it a shot.  Look at that overhang & angled entry.  Very Googie.  Who would cover that with a shitty awning?

Photo from Trippy Food

The inside is still straight-foward “diner.”  I put quote on diner because I like to reserve that term for actual dining cars – like the wonderful Phil’s.

Photo CREDIT

Photo Credit

Phil’s is in NoHo now – and closed.  Very sad.

Anyway – 54Twenty looks like this inside:

The opposite wall is a long upholstered banquet with table in the windows.

Photo credit

We sat in the corner & a friendly waitress brought us menus.  Coffee was served in paper cups

but the creamers were cute & came on a little tray with little spoons.

and I really liked the salt & pepper mill.

The menu was limited but way more creative than I expected.

I ordered the Ranch Eggs & Katie got a bacon & eggs special with what was described as “a six inch slab of bacon.”

My eggs were beautiful to look at & tasted even better!

I have decided that corn tortillas belong in the same class with parsley & celery – terribly underrated as a flavor worthy of comment.  I love warm corn tortillas!

These ranch eggs really had it all.  The hominy was crunchy, the onions delicate & sweet, the mayo – well – it’s fucking mayo.  You can’t talk shit about mayonnaise – especially if it has chipotle or garlic or some other flavor going on.  I once – sure drunkenly but whatever – stood with my friend Michael over an open jar of mayo & took rolled provolone cheese slices (purchased at 2am at the corner bodega in Brooklyn) & dipped them into the jar & scoffed that shit down.    Sounds gross?  It wasn’t.  Ill-advised?  Sure.  Gross?  No.  Alcohol is a dangerous gateway drug – a gateway to late night Thai, unnecessary & regrettable post midnight carbo-loading & to consuming 4000 fat calories of mayo & cheese in ten minutes.  But I digress.

Anyway – these ranch eggs were just ridiculous.  Katie seemed equally pleased with her fried eggs and pork slab.  Then the waitress informed us that their meat & eggs were hormone-free.  The website states:

While keeping some features that playfully hint at the restaurant’s diner past, 54TWENTY features approachable breakfast and lunch showcasing local, sustainable and humane ingredients with modern touches. Enjoy!

Not sure if humane & sustainable means PASTURED (info HERE) – which would be ideal – but any effort is to be commended.  The coffee comes from a local coffee roaster (http://www.handsomecoffee.com/) and they try to get their produce from local farmers.

Can you see the blackboard specials here?

Nah – I guess not.  It has a watermelon & jalapeno gazpacho soup special & a Brussels sprout salad with a dressing that sounded impressive when I read it back to Katie.  This picture is too blurred for me to read.  Damn!

I also like this little bit from their website:

Guestaurant:

A hybrid of a restaurant & dinner party. Guestaurants typically feature a set menu,limited seating and require a reservation much like a supper club in someone’s home.

Welcome to our home.
We are honored to have you as our guest.

In early November, they will begin doing a 6 course, $60 tasting menu.  Don’t be thrown by the Hollywood & Western location.  The neighborhood can be sketchy – but the Dixie Motel (attached to 54Twenty) has a big parking lot – so the locals shouldn’t interfere with your hipster foodie experience too much.  Only drawback?  No liquor license.  YET.  But unless you are my boyfriend – you probably don’t want a beer with your eggs, anyway, so RUN – don’t walk – and try the outrageously delicious Ranch Eggs!

Vegan Herbed White Bean Soup with Lemon-Garlic-Parsley Gremolata

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012This soup is light & delicious.  It was very easy for me to make because I had TONS of leftover herbed white beans from my Kale Fettuccine recipe HERE and a lot of frozen, leftover vegetable stock from my Very Spicy Tortilla Soup recipe HERE.If you have leftovers of these things – good for you!  You are ahead of the game. If you do not & do not care to get into a prolonged soup recipe, just use vegetarian bouillon or a pre-made vegetable stock in place of the homemade vegetable stock & use canned beans rather than dry.  That should make this soup come together very easily.

Also – I am a huge fan of both celery & parsley.  I think they get treated as unnecessary embellishments but I think they are both full of important flavor.  Go heavy with them – whenever you can.  If you eat chicken – chicken stock can be used & you can even add some cooked chicken to this – though I don’t think it needs it.

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Vegan Herbed White Bean Soup with Lemon-Garlic-Parsley Gremolata

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of vegetable stock (either homemade (below) or a pre-made one – or use bouillon cubes)

2 cups herbed white beans (recipe below) or TWO 15oz canned white beans – herbed as outlined below

1 TBS olive oil

1 onion diced

2-3 stalks celery – chopped

4 scallions – sliced

4 garlic cloves – minced

1 tsp black pepper

4 bay leaves

GREMOLATA

2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

fresh lemon zest

1 garlic clove per bowl of soup – pressed through a garlic press or finely minced

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil & saute the onion, celery, scallions and 4 garlic cloves.  Once softened – about three minutes – add the broth, peeper, white beans & bay leaves.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat & let simmer at least 20 minutes – longer if you want the flavors to really meld.  Add S&P to taste.

If the soup seems too thick – add more water or stock. 

Chop the parsley, zest a lemon.  When serving – put soup in each bowl.  Press a garlic clove & place one in the center of each bowl.  Sprinkle some fresh parsley & top with a generous pinch of lemon zest.  Serve!

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Herbed White Beans

INGREDIENTS

2 cups dry white beans (small ones – not large ones) – or 2 15oz cans of small white beans

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dry oregano

1 1/2 tsp dry parsley

1 1/2 tsp savory

1 1/2 tsp white pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic – sliced very thinly

4+ sprigs of fresh thyme – stems removed

4+ sprigs of fresh oregano – stems removed

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Put the beans & DRY spices (salt, oregano, savory, parsley, white pepper) in a large pot with enough water to cover them by at least two inches.  Bring to a boil.  Stir, then cover & lower heat to the lowest setting & simmer for at least two hours – or until the beans are tender.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil.  Add the sliced garlic, fresh thyme & oregano.  Heat for a few minutes on a medium flame – but stop before the garlic begins to change color.  With a wooden spoon, muddle the garlic & herbs into the oil by pressing down on them to release their flavors.  Remove from heat & let sit while the beans cook.

When the beans are done, drain them.  Put them in a bowl & mix in the herbed olive oil.  Set aside.

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Vegetable Stock

INGREDIENTS

Water

a few carrots – chopped into big chunks

a few stalks of celery – chopped into big chunks

1/2 large russet potato – chopped into big chunks

1/2 small head cabbage – chopped into big chunks

1 large shallot – chopped into big chunks

2 jalapenos – chopped into big chunks

several sprigs of fresh Thyme

a handful of fresh cilantro

a handful of fresh sage

a handful of fresh oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

Fill a large stock pot with water.  Add all the other ingredients & bring to a boil.  Reduced heat & simmer for 45-60 minutes.  Strain (through cheesecloth if you have it – but this isn’t necessary) into another pan & toss all the ingredients away.  Voila!  You will likely use 4-6 cups or more in this.  Freeze the rest in smaller containers for future use.

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Southern-Style Arancini or Fried Oklahoma Grits Balls with Creole Shrimp

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

 

Click that play button & enjoy yourself a little Big Maybelle. I have been all week.
And a BRUTAL week it has been.  Kicked off Monday morning with a root canal.  Swung into Wednesday having a broken crown drilled into, refitted for a permanent crown & I left with a numb face and a temporary crown.  I ate the inside of my face (cheek still numb from Novacaine) that night – ATE it – into a bloody mess – during dinner as I watched Obama let Romney lie his way to a debate victory.  Friday night, my temporary crown came out in two pieces as I ate an arugula & shaved Parmesan salad.  Not a corn nuts, gravel & salt water taffy salad.  Arugula.  Paper thin cheese.  Crown in my hand in two pieces on a tooth that has NOT had a root canal.  Friday night at 5:30pm.  Called my dentist, called his emergency line, emailed him.  Crickets.  Paged my root canal doctor & asked for a referral.  In an infuriating act of dentist solidarity – the only dentist’s name he would say was the dentist whose work I was holding in my hand.  I stood in the kitchen & cried.  Nobody wanted to help me & I had a tooth on my lower right that had been drilled into two outer walls & little else.  LOOK!

Look at that shit!  And that white you see is a bit of dental cement – or some other dental substance – and it was the only thing between my nerve & the world.  NOT A GOOD THING!  No way to eat because 1) pressure on the tooth was painful & 2) I didn’t want to risk fracturing those two panels of vulnerable tooth I had in there.  Friday night.  Was I really supposed to wait until Monday?  Or was I supposed to pick a dentist off a city bus advertisement?  Dentists don’t generally work on Saturdays – and I have had SUCH a prolonged & brutally unlucky dental run this year – I am completely traumatized and unwilling just to roll the dice on some random doctor out of the Yellow Pages.  That is if I even had a Yellow Pages.

Saturday morning I woke up & decided I needed a plan B – in case I really did have to live with my tooth dismembered until Monday.  I decided to make a large pot of grits because they do not really require chewing to be consumed.  Then my friends Dave & Rose announced that their dentist was working that day & agreed to see me.  His name is Dr. Vincent Katow & I think it is safe to say he will now be my regular dentist.  He was kind & gentle & got a new temporary crown in there in no time.  Six days.  Three major dental procedures.  Three different dentists.  And I am a patient who shakes all over & tends to cry (silently) in the chair.  Just brutal.  My righteous indignation & self pity ratcheted up exponentially.

Then the UGLIEST image ever screen-grabbed of me ever in history appeared on the internet (like this one – but EPICALLY worse) – from my recent appearance on Castle:

& set me off on a day filled with intermittent crying & a solid day of unprecedented self-pity.  This photo above isn’t THAT bad  – but – OK – fuck it.  LOOK!

Here are two shots from the same show – below.  Not the best look a show ever did to me but JESUS.  That Honey BooBoo pick of me above – out there on the internet – FOREVER – makes me very sad.

Here are some comparisons my ball-busting friends made of my look in that bad pic.   Funny?  Sure.  True?   Unfortunately.  😦

The fact is – the prototype for the role was one of these two – LITERALLY.   It was in the character description:

which is why my hair looks like I had recently been electrocuted and, well – I can’t explain that make-up – or why I had to wear dresses two sizes too small but – ouch.  Just ouch.

It was a bad week.  All I can say is – thank GOD for Bevmo’s 5 cent sales & credit cards.  And for the TORRENT of support I got on Facebook – some public – some private.  Bruised ego aside & waiting to be turned into a funny story – I move on.

So – anyway – now I found myself with teeth that could eat real food again – and a gigantic quantity of cheesy baked grits.

What to do with all those grits??  Then I thought of Arancini – or fried risotto balls!  Why couldn’t I make them with grits?  And – rather than a marinara for dipping – why not serve them on a bed of Creole shrimp?  Unable to think of a reason NOT to do this – I did this!  I admit – there are a lot of steps to get this done so it might be a special occasion sort of meal but it was SO FREAKING GOOD – I hope you get inspired to try it some time.  Also – the Grits balls can be served naked or with a much easier sauce – like an aioli or  jarred spicy Italian pasta sauce – like these risotto balls were served to me & my boyfriend in Louisville.

If you didn’t read the story about the carnival ride horror show experience we had in Louisville – you can HERE.  Anyway – the grits balls are pretty fantastic on their own so don’t put them off if the whole Creole shrimp thing seems overwhelming or unappetizing.   Also – the Creole shrimp recipe alone would go great over steamed rice – so – no need to get into the whole grits thing if that part seems overwhelming.  Whatever you decide to try – read each of the recipes through completely before beginning.  And if you are going for the whole shebang – peel your shrimp & start the stock before you get into any of the other parts of this amazing dish.

Also – the Creole Shrimp calls for canned tomatoes but if you can find tomatoes for sale in glass or in cartons like this:

buy those.  READ HERE about why to avoid canned tomatoes.  In the interest of simplicity – I will refer to packaged tomatoes as CANNED ones – even though I mean glass or cartoned ones.

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I got the grits recipe HERE but I will spell it out here, too.

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Oklahoma Cheese Grits

INGREDIENTS

6 cups water

1 1/2 cups grits (fast cooking)

3/4 cup butter

1 pound grated cheese (I used a nice cheddar)

2 tsp Creole seasoning

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 TBS hot pepper sauce (I used more than they called for)

2 tsp salt

3 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.  I used a vintage casserole dish.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in grits, and reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the butter, cheese, seasoning salt, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and salt. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and fold in the eggs. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the top is lightly browned.  Remove from oven & eat – or cool if you are gonna make the grits balls.

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Southern-Style Arancini or Fried Oklahoma Grits Balls

INGREDIENTS

Oklahoma Cheese Grits – see above

1/2 pound pepper jack (or other spicy cheese) cubed

2 cups bread crumbs.   I used a combo or regular & panko

2 cups flour

4 eggs beaten

Creole seasoning

6 cups vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the flour in a bowl, the beaten eggs in another & the bread crumbs in yet another.  Add about 1 TBS Creole seasoning to each & blend.  Scoop out a handful of cooled grits & create a ball.  Mine were about the size of a pool ball.  Press a piece of cubed cheese into the center & seal the ball back up.  Dredge this through the flour then the eggs then the bread crumbs.  Set aside on a baking sheet as you do this for the rest of the grits.  I ended up with about 20 grits balls.  I froze 16 of them – two each to a freezer baggy – for the future.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  When hot, add your grits balls & fry until golden – turning them so they color evenly.  It takes about 3-4 minutes to get them nice & brown.  Remove from the oil & drain on paper towels & set aside as you make your Creole shrimp.   If you want to eat them plain or with another dipping sauce (arrabiata anyone?) – bake them in the oven for 20-30 minutes or so – to be sure they are hot & the center cheese cube is melted.   If you are going through with the whole Creole Shrimp thing – put off the baking until you are 20-30 minutes from being ready to serve the Creole Shrimp.

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Homemade Shrimp Stock

INGREDIENTS

The shells & tails from 2 pounds of shrimp

1 medium onion – coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks cut into thirds

4 garlic cloves

4 bay leaves

6 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 TBS black peppercorns

1 lemon – sliced

DIRECTIONS

Put 10-12 cups water in a large stock pot.  Add the other ingredients.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.  Cover & simmer for about an hour.  Strain the stock through a colander of cheesecloth or a mesh strainer.  Measure out 2 cups & set aside.  Put the rest in freezer-safe containers & freeze them up for another day.   I used recycled dairy containers.

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Creole Shrimp

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs raw SHELL ON shrimp – use the LARGEST shrimp you can find.  Use the shells for the shrimp stock.

1 onion – finely diced

4 celery stalks – thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper – finely diced

2 TBS butter

1 TBS vegetable oil

2 TBS Creole seasoning

2 cups homemade shrimp stock – or vegetable stock (use bouillon cubes for a short cut)

1/2 cup dry white wine

5 large tomatoes – diced

2 TBS tomato pasta

Approx. 26 oz (or more) chopped tomatoes (canned or, preferably, from a carton.  READ HERE about why to avoid canned tomatoes)

6 garlic cloves – sliced

4 bay leaves

6-10 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

Salt to taste

Hot sauce (Tabasco or Crystal or your brand) – to taste

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

Fresh parsley – chopped

Scallions (optional) – sliced

DIRECTIONS

Peel & devein the shrimp – reserving the shells to make shrimp stock.

Heat the butter & vegetable oil in a large pan.  Add half the diced onion & saute until light golden.  Add the rest of the onion and the bell pepper & the celery.  Saute over medium heat.  Add 1 tsp of the Creole seasoning & saute until the vegetables are tender.

Add tomato paste, the canned tomatoes, 4 of the diced fresh tomatoes (reserving one diced tomato for garnish later) and 1/2 tsp salt – and stir in well.  Saute until the tomatoes begin to incorporate.  Turn the heat to high & add the white wine.  Cook for a minute or two & then add the shrimp stock (NOT THE SHRIMP), garlic, bay leaves, cayenne, black & white peppers, fresh thyme, hot sauce & Worcestershire sauce & stir in well to blend the flavors.  Let simmer on low for 30-45 minutes.

If your Creole sauce is too thick – add water or more canned diced tomatoes.  If it is too thin – increase the heat & add 1 TBS of cornstarch mixed with 2 TBS water to your Creole sauce.  This should thicken it nicely.

Taste it & add some of the remaining Creole seasoning and or salt.  Add more hot sauce if you like a lot of heat.

When you are about 30 minutes from serving – pop those fried grits balls in the oven.  5 minutes before serving – get the Creole sauce boiling.  Then – lower the heat back to a simmer & add your shrimp.  These cook pretty quickly & you want to be careful not to overcook them.  They will keep cooking even as you are assembling the dishes – so err of the side of just under-cooking them.

When the shrimp are ready – spoon out some Creole shrimp onto each plate, add a fried grits ball or two from the oven & then top with chopped tomato, fresh parsley & sliced scallions (if you are using them).

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Fresh Kale Fettuccine with Herbed White Beans, Lemon & Shaved Pecorino Romano

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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This is the end result of my experiment with making pasta noodles with kale in them!!  I was very pleased! This dish is super flavorful & seems like it should be pretty healthy, too.  I made double the white bean recipe I am going to post here.  I hope to make another bean highlighted dish soon – maybe a bean dip.  If you like beans – maybe double the recipe, too, and have extra on the side for future uses.  I love that the packaging here reads “great for cooking.”  What else do you use beans for?  Stuffing chairs?

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Fresh Kale Fettuccine with Herbed White Beans, Lemon & Shaved Pecorino Romano

INGREDIENTS

2 cups dry white beans (small ones – not large ones)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dry oregano

1 1/2 tsp dry parsley

1 1/2 tsp savory

1 1/2 tsp white pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic – sliced very thinly

4+ sprigs of fresh thyme – stems removed

4+ sprigs of fresh oregano – stems removed

1 lemon – cut into wedges

Diced tomatoes for garnish

extra fresh thyme for garnish

Parsley – chopped – as garnish

Pecorino Romano (or other hard Italian cheese – like Parmesan) shaved.

S&P to taste

4 servings fresh Kale Fettuccine – or other pasta – preferably homemade

DIRECTIONS

Put the beans & DRY spices (salt, oregano, savory, parsley, white pepper) in a large pot with enough water to cover them by at least two inches.  Bring to a boil.  Stir, then cover & lower heat to the lowest setting & simmer for at least two hours – or until the beans are tender.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil.  Add the sliced garlic (See that amazing garlic slicer above?  I recommend them!), fresh thyme & oregano.  Heat for a few minutes on a medium flame – but stop before the garlic begins to change color.  With a wooden spoon, muddle the garlic & herbs into the oil by pressing down on them to release their flavors.  Remove from heat & let sit while the beans cook.

When the beans are done, drain them.  Put them in a bowl & mix in the herbed olive oil.  Set aside.

Cook the pasta.  If using homemade – know it will cook VERY fast & rise to the top of the boiling water.  Drain & drizzle liberally with olive oil & toss.

Put a portion of pasta on each plate, top with a portion of the herbed beans, top with chopped tomatoes & extra fresh herbs.  Go crazy with parsley.  It has such a fresh & lovely flavor.  Treat it as an ingredient – not just a decoration.  Place a lemon wedge on each plate for squeezing over the pasta.  Liberally add shaved cheese to each plate & serve!

Seafood Tacos at Elsy’s Antojitos in Buttonwillow, California – off the I-5

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

Buttonwillow.  How can you NOT stop in Buttonwillow?  It is about 2 hours north of Los Angeles off the I-5.  I stopped there on a drive to San Francisco with my parents.  We were looking for somewhere to eat & the signs on the freeway indicated there was an Indian restaurant & a Taqueria – so it seemed we would have access to something other than fast food & Denny’s.  The taqueria in question was Tita’s Pupuseria.   There was some pretty decent signage leading us to it so I was surprised to discover it is really a food truck – as you can see HERE.  I love food trucks – so that didn’t throw me.  What did throw me was an apparent lack of anything meatless – except for a rather exotic-sounding “squash & cheese pupusa.”

Now – I have lived in LA for 28 years and I am not proud of the fact that I speak only Mexican restaurant menu Spanish.  I have the words for coffee, sugar & milk down, too.  And beer.  That’s about it.   This food truck taught me I knew less Spanish than I thought – even of the food related category.  Pupusa.  WTF is a pupusa?  I don’t like the sound of the word “pupusa.”  It makes me envision a chubby vulva.  I cannot explain why.

Speaking of vulvas, and I often do, if you are unaware of the erotifying vaginal scent – “Vulva – Original” – you need to correct that – immediately!  Look HERE – and be sure to watch the video at the top of the page.  HILARITY – I assure you!  And – know that I put my money where my mouth is (and that just sounds super gay – given what I am discussing) and I acquired some VULVA.  See?

This is a real crowd pleaser.  It is very satisfying to have the actual stuff to pull out after making party guests watch the ad.  To date – only one guy that I can remember seemed to think Vulva swelled at all like an “orjanic” woman.  I think it smells like vaguely rancid cooking oil or an old bike chain.  Others have their opinions.  Nobody appeared “erotified” after smelling it, though.  So – if this ad struck a chord with you – I recommend you stick to sniffing the seats on bicycles & save your $50.

Anyway – back to pupusas.  Somehow, some way – after 28 years in LA – I have no fucking idea what a pupusa is.  The only thing I could guess – and it’s what I always thought when I drove by “pupuserias” – because they obviously were not peddling chubby vulvas in there – was that it had to do with octopus.  I’d drive by & think, “Those Spanish speaking folks sure love to eat their cephalopods.”  OK.  I thought, “Those Hispanics sure eat a lot of octopus.”  And I don’t know why I thought it was octopus.  Maybe Octopussy was some subliminal influence – given my first definition of pupusa.  Then I looked up the word for octopus in Spanish – and found that it is “el pulpo.”  So – that’s what I am going with now.  I feel I must have seen octopus on the menu at – like – El 7 Mares some time in the late eighties & just walked away thinking pupusa meant octopus.  Pupusa – el pulpo?  Who can be expected to keep it straight?  They just have a different word for everything in Spanish – don’t they?  So difficult.

As an aside – check out this cutie octopus hiding under & then running with his little coconut house.   Using tools & planning for the future are signs of advanced intelligence.  Conversely – believing anything Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan say – is a sign of the opposite.

Yeah, yeah.  Cheap shot.  Moving on.

To make a long story short – I couldn’t bring myself to order the pupusa – whether it turned out to be octopus or a big twat stuffed with squash & cheese.  Funny that I was so uptight about it since what I really wanted was a fish taco.  Oh – so many vagina jokes!  I’m the next Don Rickles.

So – my parents and I pulled back out on the road & spotted another food truck, nestled in the corner of the Arco parking lot.  We decided to see if they might have a seafood option on the menu.

Here is Elsy’s Antojitos:

And guess what?  They had tacos de pescado – which I KNEW meant seafood tacos!  That’s my stepdad ordering us food.  We each got two tacos & a huge, ICE COLD Mexican Coke and I think it all cost about $15.  Nice!

While we waited for the food – and it took a surprisingly long time (which was the result of it all being made to order – a GOOD thing) – I had an epiphany & realized I could end the whole pupusa mystery by just Googling it.  Duh.  From the Elsy’s site:

Pupusas

Pupusas are basically corn tortillas stuffed with any combination of pork, cheese, beans, and a few other ingredients. They’re cooked for 8-12 minutes over a griddle by our skilled pupusa artesans.

Skilled pupusa artisans?  Is that Spanish for lesbian?

Oh – the hits!  They just keep coming.

And I’m leaving that joke alone.

So – we ordered a cheese one of these pupusas.  I will say up front – it is more like a thick stuffed pita than corn tortilla – or a really doughy quesadilla.  See HERE.

It was kinda greasy & not my thing – but I can also report – absolutely nothing like a chubby vulva.   BUT – the seafood tacos were EXCEPTIONAL!  They came with a grilled serrano pepper which was also yummy.

They were red hot & fresh & spicy & just about perfect.  Sitting outside at picnic tables on a perfect late summer day – all three of us enjoyed our meal at Elsy’s tremendously!

So – if you ever find yourself in Buttonwillow – blow off that Indian place.  Hit Elsy’s.  Or try the joynt across the street & order the squash & cheese pupusas.   I’m curious about those!!!!  Does that make me “bi-curious?”

No.  I’m not.  But I am also not – it appears – above churlish, immature vagina references.  So sue me.  🙂

Fresh Kale Fettuccine Pasta Noodles

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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I had kale.  Now I have pasta.

This is a LOT easier if you have a stand mixer & the pasta attachments – than if you are using a manual pasta maker as I illustrated in my plain pasta recipe.

I couldn’t find a recipe anywhere that incorporated the kale into the pasta itself.  I cannot imagine why – as kale is all the rage right now amongst healthy eaters & obnoxious foodies.  Maybe pasta is vulgar now.  Impossibly dated – like this fanciful Wiener Crown

Stock Photo

Or this even more beautiful centerpiece that I made for my friend Shelley’s Hawaiian/Zombie themed Bday party (I had been single a LONG time at this point in my life.  I guess you can see where my mind was.)

That’s Shelley there.  Nice ART she has – eh?

Anyway – maybe I should be talking about wheatberries?  Or purple quinoa (Keen-wah – for those of you wondering).  But fuck everyone.  I’ve had more dental work in the last year than a Canadian high school hockey team.  I currently have temporary crowns on two molars – on opposite sides of my mouth.  (THIS is my life these days.  Watch – if you dare.)  Last night – I unknowingly ate half my body weight in my own still-numbed inner cheek flesh while I watched Obama lose the debate to a lying, smug arsehole who wants to sell the middle class so far down the river – we are all gonna want to self deport with the illegal Mexicans.  My mouth hurts, my head hurts & Republicans have gotten people who live below the poverty line to root for corporations to be allowed to poison their food, water, air & for insurance/pharmaceutical companies to be again allowed to fuck us into the stone age.  HARUMPH!

If I want pasta and not the far trendier farro & amaranth – I’m gonna have it!

OK – sure – I made it of KALE – but this is a food blog, after all, and I gotta try to do something special.  Right?

Anyway – all I did was make my spinach pasta but subbed a head of kale (8 or 9 oz after the big vein was removed from the leaves) for the 6 oz of spinach.  I really cannot understand why nobody else is making this.  Maybe when I boil it – it will fall apart?  Will it taste bitter?  I guess I will see & report back later.  (Update – they cooked up beautifully!!!!  See my Kale Fettuccine & Herbed Bean Pasta recipe!)

These noodles seemed a bit wetter & harder to get to gel than the spinach variety.  Also – I chose to stop pressing the dough flat about two settings before the thinnest setting.  I had to run the dough through the thickest setting – adding more flour & folding & re-pressing – about a dozen or more times for each portion I worked with.  This could get grueling with a manual crank.  Just an FYI.

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Fresh Kale Fettuccine Pasta Noodles

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups flour

1 head kale (8 or 9 oz after you remove the lare vein) – steamed (about 10 minutes) & squeezed dry

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tsp salt

Put the steamed & squeezed dry spinach into a food processor & blend with the salt, eggs & egg yolk.  Add the flour & process into a moist dough.   Knead the dough with a little extra flour until it loses all tackiness.  Then roll it out like instructed in the recipe here – PASTA DOUGH.  Add more flour if the dough rolls out wet.  Once you roll & cut the noodles – let them dry on a counter for at least an hour.  They will cook in boiling water in less than two minutes.  You can tell they are done because they begin to float up to the surface.  Do not salt the water as homemade noodles tend to absorb the salt quickly & that can over power their delicate flavor.

Drain the noodles – toss with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together & the top with whatever sauce you are using.

Enjoy!

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Potato, Salmon & Asparagus Tall Tart (Pie) with Fresh Dill

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

This recipe is a 100% original Delicious-Delightful-Delovely invention.  It was not inspired by any other recipe – whether that be something I ate somewhere or something I saw on the Internet.  Again – it was born of ingredients I had on hand – like a second homemade tart dough waiting to be baked – and everything else used here – except the dill.  I had to go buy fresh dill.  This is the result of good ole-fashioned winging it & I recommend you try it.  The winging it part.  You could use sweet potatoes rather than white, leave out the salmon, use cooked chicken, use broccoli or peas or steamed kale instead of asparagus.  There is really no limit to the ways you could vary this.  My only recommendation is that you use some things with different colors – to prettify it.  This & a nice salad – you are good to go!

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Potato, Salmon & Asparagus Tall Tart (Pie) with Fresh Dill

INGREDIENTS

1 homemade (or frozen) tart dough – as made HERE

4 medium new potatoes (or red or sweet or russet – whatever) – sliced 1/4 inch thick

8 oz goat cheese

6 oz whole milk

2 eggs

12 dill fronds – stems removed.

zest of 1 lime

6 oz smoked salmon – diced

30 spears asparagus – FRESH

1/2 lb grated cheese (I used leftovers from the tomato tart – a combo of gruyere, smoked gouda & cheddar)

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350 DEGREES

Boil water with a tsp salt & add the sliced potatoes & cook until tender – between 5-10 minutes.  Drain & run cool water over them.  Set aside.

Wrap the asparagus spears in a wet paper towel & microwave them for a minute or two – until tender but not overcooked.  Or steam them traditionally.  Set aside.

Roll out your pastry dough & press it into a spring form pan (or a deep dish pie pan).  Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

In a blender or food processor – blend SIX OUNCES (reserving 2 ounces) of the goat cheese with the milk and the two eggs, lime zest and SIX of the dill fronds (reserving 6).  Add s&p to taste.  Set aside.

When the dough is chilled – take it from the fridge & layer the bottom with 1/3 the potatoes.  Add 1/2 of the asparagus and 1/2 the salmon & pour 1/2 of the milk mixture over this.  Layer another 1/3 of the potatoes & the rest of the salmon & asparagus & then add the final 1/3 of the potatoes.  Crumble the last 2 oz goat cheese on top of this & then the grated cheese blend.  Pour the second 1/2 of the milk mixture over this.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes – or until the cheese begins to turn golden.  Remove from over & let rest for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the spring form ring (if using) and sprinkle with more fresh dill.  Can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

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Heirloom Tomato & Onion Tart with Arugula & Basil with Homemade Herbed Crust

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

This recipe was, again, born of ingredients I had on hand.  I had that gigantic heirloom tomato from Figueroa Produce.

& refused to let it go to waste – plus about 40 pounds of cheese left over from a dinner party last weekend.  I grated, dated & froze the blocks of cheddar & mozzarella – thinking I could thaw them down the road & use them on pizzas – but the odds & ends of the other cheese were still in my fridge, guilting me into action.

I am usually intimidated by pastry & generally opt to buy frozen, uncooked pie crusts but that seemed like a big cheat in a food porn blog, so, I made this crust myself.  It was REALLY easy – so – do not be afraid.

I researched how one cooks a tart pastry & SO MANY sites said to line the raw dough (in the tart pan) with foil & fill it with beans (to keep the crust from rising up), bake it for 20 minutes, remove the beans & foil & bake another 15.  This seemed crazy to me – as I thought the crust will have seen all the heat it can bare & end up over-cooked if I filled it with ingredients & then cooked it more.  But SO MANY people outlined the prep this way – whether the filling was going to be raw or need an hour in the oven – so – I trusted.  I shouldn’t have.  You will see in my pictures that my crust is overdone.

My recipe below is going to try to help you avoid this fate. Also – I need to buy a tart pan with a removable bottom.  I used a ceramic tart pan.  It worked but the ability to remove the tart from the pan you cook it in is a nice touch and they are cheap!  See HERE.

Anyway – despite the crusty, crust – this was still quite yummy…so feel free to tweak ingredients & give it a try.  This is even better at room temperature the next day!!!!

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Homemade Herbed Tart Crust Pastry

enough for TWO tarts

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour

12 TBS butter (salted, if possible) – CHILLED and cubed

2 eggs

1+ TBS fresh thyme (or diced fresh sage or fresh parsley or fresh oregano)

water

1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix the salt & flour together in your food processor (or in a bowl – as this dough could be made by hand – just not by me).

Pulse in the butter until it is incorporated into the dough.  Pulse in the fresh herbs.  Pulse in the two eggs.  Add water 1 TBS at a time until small lumps of dough form.

Divide the dough into two balls & on a lightly floured surface, roll the two balls into disks large enough to line your tart pan.  I rolled one out – and lined my tart pan.  The other, I kept in a ball, rolled it in some flour & then wrapped it in plastic wrap to keep in the fridge for another tart another day.

When you line your tart pan – press the dough in gently, starting from the center & work to the edges.  I wrapped my pastry over the rim & then cut away extra.  You can cut it at the rim – for a cleaner look.

Refrigerate your pastry-lined tart pan for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to assemble & bake the tart – take the tart pan from the refrigerator & prick the bottom of your crust with a fork several times – then line it with foil.  Put beans or some other oven safe thing (I used a pot lid – which I promptly burned myself touching 15 minutes later) into the crust & bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Now your crust is half-cooked & ready for its contents.   As you can see – mine above – was already too cooked to withstand the additional 45 minutes it got in the oven with the tomatoes & onions.  😦

I used the extra dough cut from the rim by braiding it, baking it for about 20 minutes & then dipping it is some warm roasted tomato sauce.  Delicious!

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Heirloom Tomato & Onion Tart with Arugula & Basil

INGREDIENTS

2-3 medium heirloom tomatoes – different colors, if possible – sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 lb mixed grated cheese (I used gruyere, smoked gouda & cheddar)

1 cup arugula

1 small red onion – sliced thinly

1 small white onion – sliced thinly

(or two onions of your choice)

4 scallions – sliced

1 TBS fresh thyme

a handful of shredded basil

olive oil

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Spread a double layer of paper towels in your sink or on the counter.  Spread the tomato slices on the towel.  Sprinkle with salt.  Press another layer of paper towels on top of this.  Let rest while you complete the following steps.

Heat maybe a TBS olive oil in a pan & saute your onions & scallions until they begin to caramelize – 10 minutes or more.

With a pastry brush (or your fingers, spread a very thin layer of olive oil over the bottom of your crust & sprinkle with the fresh thyme.  Sprinkle a little cheese on top of this & then layer the arugula on top of that.

Reserve another small portion of the cheese for topping & mix the remainder of the cheese with the sauteed onion/scallion mixture.  Layer the onion mixture on top of the arugula.  Arrange the drained & dry tomatoes on top of this, interchanging colors (if you have more than one color) in a circular fan pattern.  Top with the reserved grated cheese.

Bake in your oven at 375 for 3–45 minutes or until the cheese is melted & beginning to brown.  If your crust is getting too brown – try to protect it with some aluminum foil.  Let the tart rest for 5-10 minutes.  Spread the shredded basil on top, add fresh cracked pepper & enjoy!!!    This is even better at room temperature the next day!!!!

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Pan-Fried Jalapeno Grilling Cheese with Fresh Basil

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

I mentioned this stuff in my Figueroa Produce post.  That is where I discovered and purchased this cheese.  I am not sure where you might find it near you.  This site might help you locate a distributor.  At any rate – if you ever SEE this stuff – anywhere – BUY IT!  It comes in the refrigerated section in a small block like this:

You slice some up

pan sear it over high heat for about 20-30 seconds on each side & you end up with a nice crisped, golden crust on a very flavorful soft cheese.  Not sure why it browns & doesn’t melt – but even if that is because this is made of petroleum and not dairy – I’m still on board.  The shit is ridiculous.

Top each bite-sized piece with a small basil leaf & pop them into your mouth.  Crazy good & so, so easy!!!