Vegan Celery Root Puree Soup with Black Truffle Oil

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Food doesn’t get much easier than this.  The truffle oil is a delightful touch but not required to make this soup addictive.  Despite tasting rich & creamy – this is vegan & virtually calorie-free.   TRY IT!

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Vegan Celery Root Puree Soup with Black Truffle Oil

4 softball-sized celery roots – peeled & cubed (save a few green top leaves for garnish)

1 onion – diced

1 TBS olive oil

4 garlic cloves – minced

1 tsp white pepper

Water to cover (or stock)

Black (or white) truffle oil for drizzling

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Put the celery root cubes in a soup pot.  Add water or stock (or water with a few bouillon cubes) to cover.  Boil the celery root until soft.

Saute the onion & garlic in the olive oil until the onion is translucent.  Add the onions to the celery root & stock.  Add white pepper & puree with either an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender.

Add salt to taste.  Serve in bowls, drizzle with truffle oil (or not), lots of cracked pepper & a few celery leaves.

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Forbidden Black Rice & Herbed White Beans with Seared Mushrooms, Fried Sage & Black Truffle Oil

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Asian markets & birthdays.  On the surface – not much in common.  But, for me this year – both offered much culinary inspiration.  The Asian markets (often posted about here on my blog) are a wonderland of exotic ingredients, not all of which are exactly appetizing – like these giant water bugs available at Bangluck Market:

but there are lots of other delicious things there – like this black rice:

Four pounds for $11.  Not bad!

And my birthday netted me a pasta cutter & two new Cuisinart food processors & this array of exotic ingredients:

including this incredible bottle of wine

and this gorgeous little bottle of truffle oil!

So – black rice in hand and bottle of truffle oil demanding to be tried – I looked up rice recipes.  Nothing struck me.  “Black rice & beans” most brought up images of black beans & white rice & I thought – why not make black rice with white beans?  I couldn’t find a recipe where anyone was doing what I envisioned so – I made this up.  The white beans are adapted from this recipe HERE.  Look how pretty theirs were.

And they were perfect because they are truly white – the contrast I needed for the very inky, black rice.

I kinda made up the rice & the mushroom-sage topper.  The mushroom sage thing is a nice touch (I LOVE fried sage) but not necessary.  You could serve the rice and beans plain or with another topper – corn or peas – or with a veggie side – like I did last night – my Jack Daniels Whiskey & Honey Glazed Carrots.

Nothing in this dish is difficult to execute.  If you don’t have fancy food rings to create a dramatic presentation, maybe use a ramekin or other bowl.   Or you could just do the traditional rice & beans serving – create a mound of rice in a bowl & then a moat made of beans – or a ring of rice with the beans center stage.  A sprig of rosemary or thyme on top & you have a gorgeous presentation.

This rice is sometimes called Forbidden Rice and here is a little info about its history & nutritional benefits.  In ancient China, black rice was considered the finest grain and only served to the Emperor, therefore, “forbidden rice,” as it was off limits for the general public.

Anyway – like the mushroom-sage topper, the black truffle oil is also unnecessary but an amazing & delicate addition to this recipe of subtle flavors.  If you can swing the cost – a small amount goes a LONG way.

Also – this will make a lot of beans – maybe more than you really need.  I quick soaked a single cup of beans & then added them to a pound of dry unsoaked beans – hence the two tone nature of the beans in my images.

Oh – and look at this cool photo my camera took on its own!  I don’t know why – but I kinda like it.

Lastly – this could easily be made without the cheese rind for a vegan option.

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Forbidden Black Rice & Herbed White Beans with Seared Mushrooms, Fried Sage & Black Truffle Oil

INGREDIENTS

For the mushroom & sage topper

Black truffle oil to drizzle (optional)

1 TBS butter

2 TBS olive oil

10-15 sage leaves

4 garlic cloves – minced

10-15 mushrooms – sliced

For the herbed white beans

1 lb dry small white beans

8 cloves garlic

4 sprigs rosemary (or more)

4 sprigs thyme (or more)

the rind of a hunk of Parmesan – or other form of Parmesan

Salt to taste

For the black rice

2 cups black rice

4 cups stock

1 TBS olive oil

5 garlic cloves – minced

Zest & juice of a lemon

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

For the herbed white beans

With kitchen string – tie up the rosemary & thyme into a bundle.

Heat your oven to 400.

Quick soak the beans by bringing a large pot of water to a boil.  Add beans – bring back to a boil.  Remove from heat & let the beans soak, covered, for one hour.  Drain & rinse them.

Put all the ingredients for the beans into a large dutch oven or covered casserole.  Cover with fresh water that comes about an inch over the beans.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Stir the bean & bake another 45 minutes.  The cheese rind & garlic should begin to break down.  Test the doneness of the beans & cook them in 15 minute increments.    They should be very tender in about 2 hours but your results might vary a bit – so check them after 90 minutes.  If they get too thick – add more water.  If the cheese & garlic do not break down completely, you can either blend them with a hand mixer (immersion blender) or fish them out & blend with a small amount of beans in a food processor.  I used a wooden spoon to mash some of my beans to create a thicker creamier dish.

When the beans are done – remove the herb bundle & add salt to taste.

For the black rice

Heat the olive oil in a lark stock pan.  Saute the garlic about thirty seconds.  Add the rice & the lemon juice & zest.  Stir to coat all the rice with oil.  Add 4 cups of stock & bring to a boil.  Cook as per package directions or reduce heat to low & cook, covered, about 45-60 minutes – checking after 45 minutes for doneness.

For the mushroom & sage topper

Heat ONE TBS of the oil oil with the butter.  Fry the sage leaves for about a minute.  Drain on a paper towel.

Add the other TBS of olive oil & add the garlic.  Saute one minute then add the mushrooms.  Cook on high heat until the mushrooms begin to brown.  Remove from heat.

Assemble the rice & beans as you will & then top with a bit of the mushrooms & a few fried sage leaves.  Drizzle with truffle oil.  Devour.

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Raw Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Pecans & Feta Cheese

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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This is a light & pretty tasty little salad.  The ratio of Brussels Sprouts to feta is kind of up to you but I recommend going very easy with the feta (because it easily overpowers) and heavy with the toasted pecans.

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Raw Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Pecans & Feta Cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Brussels Sprouts

1 cup (or more) pecans – chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil

feta cheese – crumbled small

Parmesan cheese – shaved very thin (a microplane is nice here)

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Blend the olive oil & lemon juice & add some S&P.  Taste it & adjust the ratio of lemon to oil to suit your taste.

Toast the pecans in a dry pan until fragrant.  Be careful not to burn them.

Shave the Brussels Sprouts with the slicer blade of your food processor or cut them very thin with a knife.

Toss the Brussels Sprouts with toasted pecans, a little feta & some of the dressing.  Shave Parmesan on top.  Voila!

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Arugula Bucatini & Spicy Clam Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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WordPress here hosts my blog.  They offer all sorts of cryptic analyses that are meant to help you discover where your site traffic is coming from & which search terms are effective etc.  I can’t understand most of it beyond knowing that – by a HUGE margin – my most popular recipe (according to Pinterest & the amount of repinning) is my

Decadent Vegan No Carb Summer Pasta with Zucchini Noodles, Avoocado, Asparagus & Peas

which kinda sucks because the photos on that one are kinda lame.  But the other day, a search engine term that allegedly led folks to my blog caught my eye.  It wasn’t pizza or pasta or vegan or even my name.  It was “eating plenty oxtail will make her pussy plump.”  See?   Under “search engine terms?”

Uhm…wtf???  There is no phrase in that sentence that should bring people to MY blog!!!  I don’t think I have ever typed that P word in my blog & I know I – oh wait!  Maybe I used the word oxtail in my vegetarian pho recipe.  Nope.  I just checked.  Anyway – whoever it was that put that phrase in a search engine was very likely disappointed when they we directed to some recipe for quinoa pizza dough or cauliflower mashed potatoes.  Sorry!

As to this spicy clam sauce recipe – couldn’t be easier – couldn’t be more delicious.  You needn’t make homemade bucatini nor homemade pasta of any kind.  Dry pasta would work very well.  The key to this recipe is an overwhelming amount of canned clams.  They give a sauce a ragu quality.

Last July, I attempted to post a variation of this recipe but using fresh clams in their shells.

Those 6 clams there changed my whole view of this recipe.  I added them once the basic white sauce was ready & tried to steam them – in a sea of what was, let’s face it, hundreds of other dead clams. It took them ten fucking minutes to die!  You can tell they are dead because their shells pop open.  If they do not pop open – they were dead when you put them in the pan and they are not fit to eat.  The Holocaust I executed in my sauce that night – steaming these six guys to their deaths as they sat neck-deep in their dead brethren – bummed me out so bad – I couldn’t eat them.  Mussels I had purchased that same day sat until they died in my fridge, untouched & waiting for their steamy deaths.  I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  Then I saw THIS:

And I was finished.

So – while I am not a casual murderer, I AM a total hypocrite in denial & I will still eat these buggers if someone else does the dirty work of murdering them for me.  And, inexplicably, I will still eat raw oysters, too.  Makes little sense – but whatever.

Overloading this dish with canned clams is tasty without requiring a distasteful act – and it is far less costly this way, too.

I bought this huge can of clams at Smart & Final.  My recipe used about half of it.

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Arugula Bucatini & Spicy Clam Sauce

Feeds 2 very well

INGREDIENTS

About 1/2- 3/4 lb pasta (or 1/2 to 3/4 of my Arugula bucatini recipe)

1-2 TBS olive oil

6 (or to taste) garlic cloves – minced

3 TBS tomato paste

8-10 small tomatoes – diced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 cup clam water

3 cups canned chopped clams – drained

1 cup fresh parsley – chopped plus more for garnish

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil & add the garlic.  Stir for a minute then add the rest of the ingredients.  Saute until it thickens a bit.  If it gets to thick – add more clam juice or water.

Cook the pasta as per instructions.

Drain & top with the spicy clam sauce.

Drink yourself stupid in an effort to un-see that clam video.

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Homemade Arugula Pasta Dough & Bucatini

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Last week I posted two things on my Facebook wall that had unexpected consequences.  One was that I posted an “OMG – I MUST have this pasta cutter!” and another was an RIP announcement for my old Cuisinart food processor.  The repercussions?  On my birthday Tuesday, my friend Randy stepped up & offered me his unused Cuisinart which I gratefully accepted.  I use my food processor almost every day – often several times.  Life without one would be unimaginable.  Then, my friend Rose announced she had the pasta cutter thingy & she never used that.  She wrapped it up and gave it to me for my birthday.  AND – my mother secretly went ahead & bought me the pasta cutter, too and then a bunch of my friends got together & chipped in & bought me a brand new Cuisinart!  So – I will return the pasta cutter my mother was generous enough to send me but the second Cuisinart means no more digging through the dishwasher midway through its cleaning process to ferret out the work bowl & blades for the food processor.  Now I can have TWO working food processors going at once!  And trust me – I will.

I got home last night at midnight with the new Cuisinart & pasta cutter and now, 11 hours later, I have slept & already used them both and created this outrageous ARUGULA BUCATINI!

Actually – I thought I was making bucatini until I was done.  Then I saw that the blade read “small macaroni.”  But what is the difference?  Well – the bucatini press creates smooth, rather than ridged, tubes and, if you are making small macaroni, you cut the tubes shorter, obviously. But fuck it.  I’m calling this bucatini – long, hollow pasta.  If you do not have this crazy pasta cutter – you can simply roll this dough flat & thin & hand cut it with a knife and create pappardelle – like I did HERE.

I added 5 oz of arugula to the dough & voila!  Try it.  It is easy – especially if you have all these incredible kitchen devices.  If not – it can still be done – just with a bit more elbow grease.  I have several varieties of pasta posted on this blog including simple egg pasta, spinach pasta, cilantro-serrano pasta, kale pasta, lemon-pepper pasta, orecchiette, pumpkin gnocchi, beet cavatelli and beet ravioli – and each illustrates a different way to execute homemade pasta.  Some, like the cavatelli & orecchiette, are vegan and neither of these requires special tools.  Others – like today’s post – kinda require you have a few appliances.   Just know – there is an easy, homemade pasta for every level of cook – with or without fancy tools.

I realized today as I made this that I used 1) the new Cuisinart 2) the new pasta cutter 3) my bread machine & 4) my Kitchenaid stand mixer – and I realized that each of these tools were given to me by others.  What well chosen gifts they were, too!  I use – and will use – them almost every day until they die.  Or I do.  So – THANK YOU – all you folks that invested in my love of cooking!

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Arugula Pasta Dough & Bucatini

INGREDIENTS

5 oz fresh arugula

3 1/2 cups flour

4 eggs

1 tsp salt

water & extra flour for kneading

DIRECTIONS

Blanch the arugula in boiling water for about 30 seconds, drain & run under cold water.  Squeeze out the excess water & blend the arugula with the eggs in a food processor.

I put the flour, salt & egg-arugula mix into my bread machine & let it run a few minutes on the “pasta dough” cycle.  Alternatively, you can create a well with the flour & put the egg mix & salt in the center.  Slowly incorporate all the flour into the eggs as illustrated HERE.  Then you can roll it thin with a rolling pin & cut pappardelle like I did HERE.  Or – if you have the tools – you can cut it into a tubed pasta – as I did.

Look at how easy this incredible thing is to use!

Let it dry and hour or more.  To cook – simply add the pasta to boiling water & cook until it floats to the surface – usually less than a minute – unless it is a more dense pasta like this.  The bucatini took over ten minutes to be al dente.   Serve with the sauce of your choice!

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Phil Miller’s Famous Cheesecake

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Phil Miller is my boyfriend, Miles’, dad.  Miles is a finicky eater – often a great source of frustration for me.  Here recently for his birthday, I wanted to provide a birthday cake situation that would make him happy.  He had long bragged about how awesome his dad’s cheesecake is – so – we opted to make that.

Here is a picture of Phil Miller:

That is Phil channeling Burt Reynolds in the back.  Miles is that teensy peanut in the second row on the far right.  Notice that, standing, he is barely taller than the boys kneeling in front of him.  Put at such a size disadvantage, it is no surprise that Miles outgrew (or didn’t sufficiently grow into) his taste for sports.  One of my favorite details about Miles Miller is his absolute & total disinterest in professional sports.  It makes me swoon.

So – anyway – we went out & bought the ingredients for this cheesecake.  There are three levels to it: the crust, the cheesecake itself & the sour cream topping.  It takes a few steps but none of them are difficult.

My oven must need calibration because I overcooked the cheesecake level a bit & it had browned spots that showed through the topping – so I added sliced, fresh lemon in a partially successful attempt hide them.  Miles felt I had overcooked the crust, too, but, even if I did, it still tasted delicious to me!

For some reason – I couldn’t get a decent shot of this cake – so pardon the underwhelming imagery.  In no way does it reflect upon the lemony deliciousness that is Phil’s Famous Cheesecake!

NOTE!! – Phil suggests cooling this cheesecake in the fridge overnight!

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PHIL’S FAMOUS CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS

For the crust

1/4 cup pecans – crushed

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup self-rising flour

1/4 stick butter

For the cheesecake

12 oz cream cheese – softened

4 TBS lemon juice

1 TBS vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

For the sour cream topping

8 oz sour cream

4 TBS sugar

2 TBS lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

For the crust

Mix the ingredients well, press into a buttered 8″ cheesecake (spring form) pan.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes – being careful not to overcook.  Let cool for 20 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

For the cheesecake

Beat the ingredients well & pour on top of the cooled crust.  Bake at 400 for 35 minutes – being careful not to brown the top.  Let cool for 20 minutes.

For the sour cream topping

Mix ingredients & spread on cooled cheesecake.  Bake at 400 for 5 minutes.

Chill in the fridge overnight.  Run a wet blade around the edge of the cake & gently remove the spring form pan.  Slice with a sharp, wet knife.  Or just eat the whole thing!

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Vegan Fennel, Leek & Corn Chowder

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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At the risk of sounding like a repetitive dullard – this chowder was born of ingredients that needed using.  I am a fan of spicy food & I made this chowder very spicy.  It is really easy to make & really yummy!  It makes a lot of soup, too, so don’t be freaked out by the coconut milk – if the calorie content of coconut milk freaks you out.  There is nothing else bad for you in this soup & you are only eating a tiny fraction of the coconut milk in each bowl…so indulge in its faux decadence!

That said – today is Valentine’s Day.  For the first time in a really long time – I have a serious boyfriend on this day & hence – for the first time in a really long time – I got a surprise delivery of flowers!!!!  YAY!!!  Look at these guys!  JUST GARGANTUAN!

So pretty!!!

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Vegan Fennel, Leek & Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS

3 TBS olive oil

2 large onions – diced

4 leeks – white part cut into rings

2 fennel bulbs – sliced thinly – dilly tops saved for garnish

3 corn cobs – kernels cut off – a handful of kernels set aside for garnish

3 (or less) serrano (or jalapeno) peppers – seeded & diced

4 garlic cloves – diced

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 13.5 oz coconut milk (lite – if you prefer)

6 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp (or more) crushed red pepper

1 cup – fresh cilantro – chopped – and extra for garnish

Sriracha – as garnish (optional)

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil & saute the onion, leeks, fennel & garlic until they soften – about 5 minutes.

Just as they begin to brown a touch – add the vegetable stock, serranos, lemon zest & corn.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and add the coconut milk & crushed red pepper.  Simmer about 15 minutes.  Add some chopped cilantro and &P to taste.

In batches in a blender, puree the soup.  I left about 1-2 cups of it as is (chunky) – to add some texture to the chowder.

Serve with cilantro, raw corn & the dilly parts of the fennel & plenty of cracked pepper.   Drizzle with sriracha – if using.

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Valentine’s Day Roasted Beet Cavatelli with Caramelized Fennel & Beet Sauce AND a Beet & Watercress Salad with Edamame

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Valentine’s Day.  A perfect excuse for magenta food items.

I love beets and I am always surprised when people say they hate them – mostly because beet salads are such a common thing on menus.  That alone suggests they are popular but whenever I am questioning a person who claims to eat everything about whether they eat the most controversial foods (mushrooms, eggplant, seafood, garlic, peas, Brussel sprouts & beets) – I often get a negative response to all of those – including beets.

Anyway – I think they are wonderful and I love their vibrant color.  One note – if you eat these bright red vegetables – your subsequent visits to the restroom could be alarming.  All that pigment in the beets will go right through you and you might look into the toilet bowl & fear you are bleeding to death.  You are not.  Just FYI.

Another thing – beets WILL dye your clothes & hands – so – wear dark clothing or an apron when working with them.   Also – the cavatelli, the sauce & the salad all call for roasted beets.  So – roast a whole bunch at once – and roast some garlic along with them.  And lastly – cook the cavatelli within a few hours of making them.  I let mine sit out too long & I think they suffered for it.

First – the salad.

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Beet & Watercress Salad with Edamame

INGREDIENTS

Roasted beets

Watercress

toasted pecans

goat cheese – crumbled

red onion – shaved VERY thin

edamame

1/2 cup olive oil

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp Dijon

S&P to taste

Blend the last five ingredients for the dressing.

Halve the beets (tossed in olive oil) & roast at 450 for 45 minutes or until done.

Toast the pecans in a dry frying pan until fragrant – being careful not to burn them.

When the beets are done, cool them & slice or cube them up & toss with some dressing.

Arrange the ingredients on plates & add more dressing.

Valentine’s Day Roasted Beet Cavatelli with Caramelized Fennel & Beet Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the cavatelli

2 cups flour

3 TBS olive oil

2 eggs

2 TBS water

1 tsp salt

1 large roasted beet

DIRECTIONS

Halve the beet (tossed in olive oil) & roast at 450 for 45 minutes or until done.

Puree the beet with all the other ingredients – except the flour – until the beet is completely broken up.  At this point – I put the flour & beet puree in my bread machine & let it do the dirty work of kneading the dough.  You could probably pulse the flour into the food processor in increments.  Or – create a flour well on a counter or in a bowl & blend into a dough.  Knead it until it is smooth & pliable.

In sections, roll the dough into snakes & then cut into 3/4 inch chunks & roll into little hot dog shapes.

Check out this woman (at about 2:00) and how she rolls out the cavatelli.

I rolled mine on a gnocchi board.

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For the beet & caramelized fennel sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 fennel bulb – shaved or sliced very thin – dilly parts saved for garnish

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1 TBS olive oil

3 shallots – chopped

4 roasted beets (tossed in olive oil and roasted at 450 for 45 minutes or til done)

4 roasted garlic cloves (roasted with the beets but removed from the oven after about 30 min)

1 tomato – quartered

4 oz goat cheese

3 oz cream cheese (or more goat cheese)

Fresh parsley – chopped

Fresh grated Parmesan or other hard cheese

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Roast the beets & garlic.

With a mortar & pestle, grind the rosemary into 1 tsp salt.

Heat 1 TBS olive oil & cook the shallots & fennel for 5-7 minutes – or until browned.  Add the rosemary salt.

In a food processor – blend the roasted beets, roasted garlic, caramelized fennel & shallots, tomato, goat cheese, cream cheese and S&P to taste.  Add water if it is too thick.

Cook the cavatelli in boiling water until they all float to the top.  Drain them & toss with the sauce.  Garnish with more crumbled goat cheese and grated Parmesan & chopped parsley and/or the dilly part of the fennel.

Enjoy!  And have a happy Valentine’s Day!

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Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel & Spicy Orange-Glazed Albacore

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Holy crap!  I could live on this mashed cauliflower dish!  I added 1/2 cup heavy cream to this but I do not think that is necessary.  Butter or a little milk (even plain soy milk) would likely be cool.  And wowza!  Are they easy.  I added caramelized fennel just to get fancy & it added a really nice flavor but caramelized onions or roasted garlic or goat cheese or any number of additions could take this dish in a multitude of directions.

As to the albacore – I buy it like this at Trader Joe’s.

Two decent sized slabs of tuna for just over $5.  Can’t beat that!  The problem is, I find this to sometimes be a tad fishy so I intentionally cook the bejesus out of it.  I cook it until the fat bubbles out of it.  At that point – it is virtually indistinguishable from some dry chicken breast.  At least – for me – it is because I haven’t eaten actual chicken breast in like 25 years.  Dry chicken might not sound appealing to you but I gave up meat to avoid giving my money to factory farms (and savage, MASS cruelty), not because I don’t like it.  I miss things like the awesome hotdogs at Costco, chicken piccata, rare steak and bacon.  So – I eat veggie dogs and Bacos in a jar & I try to make chicken piccata from this overcooked fish thing.  I used it here to simulate a glazed chicken dish & it works for me.  You might want to use actual chicken or salmon, if this albacore isn’t available to you – or if my description above was a bit on the soft sell side.

These flavors worked really well together & it was a very filling while still pretty healthy dinner.  But, whether you make the funky chicken albacore or not – TRY THE MASHED CAULIFLOWER!

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Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel & Spicy Orange-Glazed Albacore

INGREDIENTS

For the spicy orange-glazed albacore

2 pieces of albacore (or chicken breasts or salmon)

2 TBS butter

juice & zest of 2 oranges

2 TBS honey

2 TBS Dijon

2 tsp (or to taste) crushed red pepper

S&P to taste

For the cauliflower mashed potatoes with caramelized fennel

1 head cauliflower – cut into florets

1 bulb fennel – shaved very thin

2 TBS butter

1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk or soy milk)

1 TBS horseradish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

For the Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel 

Boil water & add the cauliflower & cook until soft.  Maybe 15 minutes.  Turn off heat & let cauliflower sit in the hot water.

Slice the fennel very thinly – reserving the dilly tops for garnish.  Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Saute the fennel, stirring constantly over medium heat – just until it begins to brown.  Remove from heat.

Drain the cauliflower & put it, the heavy cream, horseradish, and 1/2 of the caramelized fennel in a food processor & puree until smooth.  Add a little water to thin them if you desire.  Reserve some caramelized fennel for garnish.

Taste & add S&P to taste.

For the spicy orange-glazed albacore

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Add the orange juice & zest, honey, Dijon & crushed red pepper & saute over medium heat until it thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon.  Add S&P to taste.

Coat the top of the fish with the glaze – reserving a little extra for garnish.  Bake the fish for about 20 minutes or until done.  I then turned the broiler on & put the fish near the flame for several seconds, watching VERY closely, until the glaze bubbled & boiled.

To serve – put a generous helping of the cauliflower puree on two plates.  Top with the cooked fish & then garnish with the reserved orange glaze, caramelized fennel and maybe some of the chopped dilly tops of the fennel and lots of freshly cracked pepper.

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Truffled Celery Root Mixed Grain Risotto Tower with Roasted Beets, Pan-fried Cauliflower & Basil Jus

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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This might look intimidating but it is not.  It just requires a few easy steps.  Most of it could be substituted with other ingredients, too.  For example – hate beets?  Use carrots or corn or sweet potato instead.  Trader Joe’s mixed grain thing not available to you?

Use a regular risotto.  Celery root unavailable or yucky to you?  Make your risotto with whatever ingredients you prefer.  Don’t have fancy food mold ring to create the tower?   Use a bowl or just free form it on the plate for a more rustic presentation.

I loved this dish.  The celery root absolutely held its own despite competing with a lot of other flavors here from white truffle oil to roasted beets & garlic to the fried cauliflower to the basil oil.   This dish was served closer to warm-room temperature than what I would call hot – primarily because there are so many ingredients to time properly – but I liked it just warm.  It might also be served hotter if you don’t spend 15 minutes trying to get the perfect photo of it.

Speaking of which – I am often asked what I use to photograph the food.  The answer?  My iphone 5 and a construction lamp.  See?

That is all I have going on.  I have limited dishware & napkins etc with which to present my recipes and I am beginning to feel my images are starting to look a lot alike but that is just the reality of doing it all DIY on a shoestring budget.  But THIS dish – this will definitely wow folks on any plate.  I hope you try it.

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Truffled Celery Root Mixed Grain Risotto Tower with Roasted Beets, Pan-fried Cauliflower & Basil Jus

INGREDIENTS

For the risotto

1 lb Mixed grains (or risotto or other rice)

1 large celery root – peeled & diced

2 cups milk

1 cup Parmesan – grated

White truffle oil to drizzle – (VERY optional)

For the roasted beet & garlic puree

6 small beets

4 TBS heavy cream

4 cloves garlic

For the pan-fried cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

1-2 TBS olive oil

For the basil jus (basil oil)

1 cup fresh basil

3/4 cup high quality olive oil

DIRECTIONS

For the beet & garlic puree

Halve your beets (or quarter them if the are large) & drizzle them with olive oil.  Toss them with the garlic cloves & roast them & the garlic (add lots of extra garlic so you can have some extra around for future recipes) in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until tender.  Check frequently & remove the garlic if it browns quickly & is done before the beets.  When roasted – cool a bit then puree the beets, 4 roasted garlic cloves & the heavy cream in a food processor.  Set aside.

For the basil jus

Plunge the basil in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Plunge it in cold water, drain & squeeze out the water.  Puree the basil with olive oil in a food processor.  Set aside.

For the pan-fried cauliflower

Slice the cauliflower into 3/4 inch steaks.  Heat the olive oil & fry the cauliflower until browned on both sides.

Alternatively – you could roast the cauliflower (tossed in olive oil) in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until it is soft & beginning to brown.  My photo here is of florets roasted in the oven.  The assembled tower images show cauliflower pan-fried as steaks.

For the risotto

I cooked the bag of mixed grains as per the directions.

Bring the milk to a boil, add the diced celery root to the milk, reduce heat & simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celery root is soft.

Blend the celery root, the milk it cooked in & the cheese in a food processor until smooth.  Add to the cooked grains & blend completely.  Drizzle with truffle oil (if using) – sparingly, as it can really overpower the other flavors.

TO ASSEMBLE

I used a food ring like this

and simply put a layer of risotto then beet puree then cauliflower.  I drizzled it with the basil jus & topped it with watercress.  You could build yours backwards in a greased ramekin & flip it or in a bowl & flip it – or just present it in a more casual, rustic, unformed way.

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Celery Root & Fennel Flat Bread

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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I LOVE CELERY ROOT.  It has a creamy, delicate but fresh flavor I cannot get enough of.  I am not such a huge fan of fennel but, when used correctly, it, too, has a refreshing quality.  I combined the two here on a pizza so thin that it doesn’t really qualify as a pizza – but rather – a flat bread.  It is light & has a nuanced flavor that makes it a perfect little appetizer.

There is no real recipe for this concoction of mine beyond:

Pizza dough

celery root

fennel

olive oil

Parmesan cheese

celery root & fennel tops – chopped for garnish

You simply roll your dough out very thin, top it with a little Parmesan, very thinly shaved celery root & fennel & a tiny bit more Parmesan.  Drizzle with olive oil and S&P to taste & bake at 450 degrees until your crust is browned & the cheese is turning golden.  Garnish with chopped celery leaves & the dilly little sprigs from the fennel.

Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi with Three Sauces: Orange Cream, Pumpkin-Sage & Pistachio Pesto

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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I used a 29 oz can of pumpkin for this recipe & it made a BOATLOAD of gnocchi.  Gnocchi is pronounced “Nyawkki,” for those that are unsure.

At any rate – this recipe will produce three cookie sheets of raw gnocchi – like this:

I would say each of those sheets represents four very healthy servings.  You might want to cut this recipe in half.  Not wanting to turn orange from pumpkin consumption, I opted to freeze the bulk of these.  To do that, I put the entire cookie sheet in the freezer & when the gnocchi were frozen solid, I chipped them off the cookie sheet & put them in individual zip lock bags – each containing a single serving.  To cook frozen gnocchi – put them in boiling water directly from the freezer & boil until they float to the top.  If you let them thaw first, they will become a gooey mess.

Another note, these gnocchi are vegan.  In the past, I have made potato gnocchi & they required eggs.  These do not & I like any opportunity to skip the use of eggs & dairy (though there is lots of dairy in two of the sauces).  However, the resulting gnocchi were more dense than the potato variety – even though I was careful not to over flour them & even rolled & cut the dough while it was still a bit tacky.  I am not sure if that is true because of the lack of eggs or maybe the wet pumpkin just combines differently than baked potato – but – just know these are pretty substantial – maybe even a tad chewy.  I will make potato ones soon, which come out a bit lighter.

As to the sauces I made – I wanted to avoid the traditional fried sage & brown butter sauce, mainly because it is how pumpkin things are always served.  These sauces might have photographed better with a white gnocchi beneath them (especially the green pistachio pesto which wasn’t pretty on the orange gnocchi) – so do not be thrown by the images here.  I must confess, I underachieved in the photography department here partly because I had color combos that were not ideal and, primarily, because I had three different gnocchi to photograph & I wanted to EAT them before they got cold.  I had my friend Mike taste all three sauces with me.  He liked the lemony pistachio pesto & the orange cream best.  I thought the orange cream was a tad sweet, despite the fact that there is no sugar added.  Maybe the California Cutie I used was too sweet for this recipe – and a regular orange would have been better.

I liked the pumpkin cream sauce but, in the future, will add much more fried sage (which I can eat like chips).  I liked the pistachio pesto – but I think it might be better served with a more neutral flavored gnocchi.  All the sauces are VERY easy to make & all would do well over pasta – so – if they sound good to you but an hour of rolling gnocchi does not – just open a box of penne or something & use the sauces on that.

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Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi

INGREDIENTS

1 29 oz can pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp nutmeg

5 1/2 – 6 cups flour

1/2 tsp each of S&P

DIRECTIONS

On a floured surface or in a bowl – combine the ingredients, adding flour incrementally just until the dough is no longer sticky.  Knead the dough for several minutes until it is soft & pliable.

OR – stick everything in your bread machine & run it on the pasta dough cycle.  This is what I did.

Divide the dough onto sections about the size of a child’s fist & roll each out into snakes that are about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut the snakes into pieces (under an inch) and either use them as they are or roll them over fork tines to get a texture or use this awesome tool I got on Amazon for a few bucks.

Let them rest on a lightly floured surface (or refrigerate) until you are ready to cook them.

To cook – simply boil water, add gnocchi & boil until they float to the surface.  Drain & top with your sauce & devour!

Orange Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 orange – zest & juice

2 TBS butter

3/4 cup vegan heavy cream

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Zest the orange – set zest aside.  Juice the orange – set juice aside.

Heat the butter in a sauce pan & add the zest – reserving some for garnish later.  Let this cook on medium heat until it begins to thicken.  Add the cream & cook until it begins to thicken.  When it reaches a consistency you like – add S&P.

Pumpkin-Sage Sauce

INGREDIENTS

olive oil

2 TBS butter

20 fresh sage leaves

1 small onion – diced

3 cloves garlic – minced

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup vegetable (or other) stock (I use water & veggie bouillon)

1/2 cup vegan heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Heat  butter with a little olive oil in a frying pan.  When hot – add the sage leaves & fry for a minute of two – until they begin to brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Add onion & garlic to the pan & saute until they soften.  Add the pumpkin, stock & cream & simmer until it thickens.  Reserve the fried sage to top the gnocchi as garnish.

Pistachio Pesto

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh basil

2 garlic cloves

3/4 cup shelled, roasted pistachios

1/3 cup vegan Parmesan cheese

1 TBS lemon juice

1/4 olive oil

1 tsp each S&P (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients in a food processor to create a paste.  Add water if you feel it is too thick.

To assemble your gnocchi, just top hot gnocchi with either the orange cream garnished with orange zest or the pumpkin-sage sauce & the crumbled, fried sage or with the pistachio pesto with some crushed pistachios as garnish.  Get likkered up & gorge!

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Orecchiette with Kale & Tomatoes & Manchego Cheese

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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This is simply another easy recipe to top the orecchiette I made the other day.  You could make the orecchiette yourself or buy a dried version.  I used a mix of cherry tomatoes & Roma tomatoes because I had them on hand.  Any tomatoes would work.

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Orecchiette with Kale & Tomatoes & Manchego Cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 lb orecchiette

2 TBS olive oil

3 shallots – diced

2 cups kale – chopped

30-40 cherry tomatoes – halved – (or an equivalent amount of other tomatoes)

3 Roma tomatoes – diced – (or an equivalent amount of other tomatoes)

1 tsp salt

Manchego cheese – grated fine (or Parmesan)

Parsley or basil – chopped as garnish

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan & heat the chopped shallots.  Add the diced tomatoes & chopped kale & salt & saute until the kale wilts.  Add water if this mix gets too thick.

Cook the orecchiette as per directions & drain.  Add to the saute pan & toss to blend the ingredients.  Serve with grated Manchego & parsley or basil.

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Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Hey!  Have you heard?  I wrote a really funny & dirty novel!  www.BathingBook.com.   Check out the reviews on Amazon!  Why not buy a copy?

I try to feed my dogs the best stuff possible whenever I can afford to.  Dog treats, however, are constantly in the news because of recalls – so the only treat I give my dogs are pieces of these hotdogs that I buy for about $1.19 a pack.

The phrase “chicken treats” gets a very dramatic response from all my kids.  speaking of – here are my kids:

That is Memphis, Dexter & Moxie.  They make me very happy.  So – I decided to experiment with making them some treat other than the hotdogs.

I wanted to keep them as grain-free as possible but I did end up using a cup or more of whole wheat flour.  The bulk of the flour I used was besan, or chickpea flour, that I buy cheaply at my local Indian market.  I found this on the internet:

Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are legumes, like lentils and peas. Chickpea flour is high in easily digestible protein, which your dog needs a lot of.

Anyway – I blended the dough in my food processor, rolled it out on the counter & cut it up with a bone-shaped cookie cutter.  I added two chicken hotdogs to the dough because I couldn’t predict how my kids would respond to these treats & I didn’t want them to be a complete bust.  As it turned out – they are CRAZY for these.  Next time – I might omit the hotdogs & maybe add peanut butter.

Also – pure pumpkin puree is really good for dogs and a MIRACLE cure for doggy diarrhea.  Just mix some into a food they love & let the healing begin.

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Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

2 eggs

3 cups chickpea (or rice or wheat) flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 chicken hotdogs – pureed (optional)

1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Combine ingredients to a dough either by hand or in a food processor or bread machine.  Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick & cut it – either with a cookie cutter or with a knife.  Bake at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet greased with cooking spray (or lined with parchment paper) for 15 minutes & then turn them & cook another ten minutes.  Allow to cool & serve them up to happy pups!

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Pistachio & Gruyere Pizza with Red Onions & Goat Cheese Rosemary Cream

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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I wanted to make a pizza without going to the store.  I had dough, Gruyere & the rosemary cream sauce left over from my Roasted Cauliflower pizza effort.  I had a bag of shelled pistachios from Trader Joe’s & I had a red onion.  The images here show a dough rolled thin to the point of being a flatbread.  I had a scant amount of the rosemary cream left so it was used sparingly.  I used too little Gruyere as well.  The result was an austerely topped but really pretty pizza.  In the future, I would go thicker with everything.  In fact – I would add a few gobs of goat cheese, too.  The rosemary cream recipe below omits the roasted garlic that was used in the Roasted Cauliflower Pizza recipe – primarily to simplify this recipe & skip the step of roasting garlic.  You could certainly add the step back if you have the inclination.  Conversely – you could omit the rosemary cream altogether – especially if you go heavier with the other toppings & add goat cheese.

So – in closing – this was a tasty & unusually flavored pizza.  I just recommend you go thicker with your dough & apply the toppings with a heavier hand.

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Pistachio & Gruyere Pizza with Red Onions & Goat Cheese Rosemary Cream

INGREDIENTS

GOAT CHEESE ROSEMARY CREAM (if using)

5 oz goat cheese (or just use goat cheese directly on the pizza – skipping this cream recipe)

2 TBS butter

1 1/4 cups heavy cream (or 1 1/4 cups Mexican Crema mixed with 1/2 cup water)

dry rosemary – a TBS & a pinch – chopped finely or crushed with a mortar & pestle.

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

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Pizza dough – homemade or prepared

Handful shelled pistachios – quantity to taste

Gruyere – grated – quantity to taste

1/2 red onion – shaved very, very thin

1 TBS fresh rosemary – chopped

Fresh Parmesan – grated – as garnish

DIRECTIONS

For the rosemary cream sauce (if using):

Heat 2 TBS butter in a stock pan.  Add the rosemary sprigs and simmer a minute then add the heavy cream.  Bring almost to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover & allow the rosemary to steep in the cream.  You can actually remove it from heat altogether & let it steep several hours – if you feel like it.  If using immediately – let it steep for 15-20 minutes then whisk in the goat cheese.  Add a pinch of dry rosemary.  Right before using, remove & toss the fresh rosemary sprigs.  If the cream sauce is too thick, add water.  If it is too thin, cook it down a bit.

Assemble the pizza by rolling the dough out, not too thin, and topping it with the cream sauce (if using) and Gruyere, pistachios, shaved red onion & chopped fresh rosemary.  Add dollops of goat cheese – if you have it.  My pizza here did not have extra goat cheese & I believe it suffered for it.  Bake at 450 degrees until cheese melts & bubbles & the crust browns.  I added a little grated Parmesan as a garnish.

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Homemade Orecchiette with Spinach Pecan Pesto & Gruyere

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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This pasta is vegan but the sauce is not.  The sauce is, however, raw & very good for you!  The nice thing about orecchiette (little ears) is that it is a homemade pasta that doesn’t require any special tools.  It would, however, require a good 15-20 minutes of kneading the dough (which I used my bread machine for) but beyond that it is very easy.  I recently purchased a little wooden gadget to roll gnocchi on & I used it here to make these prettier but that was just goofiness.  It doesn’t effect flavor or the ability of the pasta to capture sauces.  This is a SUPER easy entry level pasta & an even easier sauce.  TRY IT!

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Homemade Orecchiette with Spinach Pecan Pesto & Gruyere

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

1 cup semolina flour

3/4 cup plus 4 TBS water

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup pecans – toasted til fragrant in a dry pan

1/2 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves (or less – to taste)

2 packed cups spinach

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup gruyere cheese – grated – as garnish

parsley – chopped – as garnish

Additional fresh spinach – chopped – as garnish

S&P to taste

additional water for the pesto

DIRECTIONS

Toast the pecans in a dry pan until they are fragrant (a few minutes) making sure they do not burn.  Put the toasted pecans, olive oil, garlic, spinach, Parmesan & about 1 tsp each of salt & pepper in a food processor & blend until smooth.  Add water if necessary to get a nice smooth consistency.  Set aside.

To make the pasta – either blend the flours & salt in a deep bowl, create a well, add the water & blend & knead until you have a soft & pliable dough that is no longer sticky.  Additional flour might be needed to lose all tackiness.

Alternately – put the ingredients in a bread machine & use the pasta dough setting & let the machine mix & knead the dough.  This is genius and a bread machine only costs about $100 – and I use mine ALL THE TIME for bread, pasta & pizza doughs.

Once you have your dough, break of hunks & roll them into long snakes about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Cut these into 1/2 inch pieces & then with your finger tip or other small round thing – create little ears with each of the small bits.

Initially, I used my finger tip

Until I spied this hanging from an old Orangecello bottle & used this for the rest

Allow these to dry on wax or parchment paper (or a floured surface) for 3-4 hours.

If you happen to have one of these

You can roll the backside of each piece over it for this look

To cook – boil water & add the orecchiette & cook until they all float to the surface – typically well under a minute.  Drain & mix with the pesto & top with chopped fresh spinach, parsley & grated Gruyere.  Take pictures & post all over Instragram & Facebook & Tweet immodestly of your culinary achievement!

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