Bread Crumbs and What to do with them!

A new study about food waste came out this week, claiming that the typical American wastes about a pound of food per day.  And that the worst offenders were healthy eaters, because fruits and vegetables comprise 39% of the wasted food  (followed by dairy and meat).  What surprised me was that bread was not on this list.  I know I do better than most on using up fruits and vegetables, I have a lot of strategies ranging to buying really fresh product at the farmers market, to sweep-the-veggie-drawer recipes, like Pasta Whatever and Quesadilla's... just check the "Random Vegetable" link.   But it seems that I'm constantly tossing bread that is moldy or stale.  I know its in part because I buy bread that isn't loaded with preservatives, but the reality is that we just don't eat enough sandwiches or toast to go through a full loaf in a week or so. Or you get (or make) a nice "artisan loaf" to go with soup, and its stale the next day.    I do toss bread into the fridge after a few days, and it's still good for toast, but after about 10 days it's stale even for toast (and likely starting to mold).

So....  I have been trying a few new things.  First has been to get more proactive about making dry bread crumbs, which keep for a long time in the freezer.  But of course, this doesn't help unless you actually use the bread crumbs from the freezer.  I have a couple of recipes  that use bread crumbs, like Spinach Crusted Quiche, and meatballs (and hopefully will get around to posting that recipe).  But I needed more outlets for bread crumbs, because storing crumbs in the freezer for a year and then throwing out is not reducing waste.  I have managed to stumble across a few of recipes that use a lot of crumbs (by stumble, I mean I found one, then googled and found another 100 similar recipes, then pulled together the way that seemed best to me).  The first is a Bread Crumb Topping that you put on pasta or salads. This is something that really elevates a ho-hum salad or leftover pasta. The next is Oven-fried Zucchini.  Way back (we are talking about my college days) many people "discovered" that they liked zucchini when it was breaded and fried.  I will admit these are not quite the same, but they are quite tasty and actually pretty good for you.    How do you use bread crumbs?

First, let's cover making bread crumbs. You can use any kind; white, French, whole wheat, whole grain, seeded, etc., but I don’t like to use bread that is on the sweet side (> 2 grams sugar per slice according to the nutrition label), like a honey wheat or most of the whole grain breads.  Sugar will cause the crumbs to brown faster, which might be a problem in some recipes.  Plus I'm just not a fan of sweet tasting bread (and yes, I'm the crazy lady looking at the label of every loaf in the store).

Bread Crumbs

Leftover bread, preferably stale, torn into chunks.  Sandwich bread is fine as long as its not sweet.

Oven: 300F, convection if you have it.    Place parchment paper on a sheet pan (or pans, depending on how much leftover bread you have).

Place 1 - 2 inch chunks of bread into the bowl of a food processor, filling up to about half to three quarters full.  Pulse until broken up, go with longer pulses until the bread is in crumbs.    Put crumbs on prepared sheet pan.  Repeat if you have more bread.   Keep the crumb layer to less than a ½ inch.

Place pan in preheated oven.  Toss after about 10 minutes.  Then check every 5 minutes… goal is dry crumbs, not toasted crumbs.  It generally takes 15 - 25 minutes. Let cool completely.   If the crumbs are a bit big for what you want, give them another twirl in the food processor. Use dry crumbs within a few days, or put into freezer zip-lock bag and freeze, they are good for many months (at some point, they get that freezer taste).







Bread Crumb Topping

Good on pasta or salads.  But they don’t keep.  Use within an hour or so of making. This makes enough for 2 servings, double or triple as needed.  My inspiration for this recipe is from Melissa Clark of the NYTimes... that one uses anchovies.  Probably delicious, but haven't yet tried that!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, oregano) or 1 teaspoon dry Italian herbs
Optional:  1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon or olives
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Warm olive oil over medium heat in small skillet.  Add garlic and red peppers, stir, then add remaining ingredients.   Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently until the crumbs are golden.  Add lots of pepper, and maybe salt (if you are using preserved lemons or salty olives, you probably don’t need more salt).

Breaded Zucchini

Serves 4 … but 2 people can finish this off if they are hungry.

Zucchini – about 8 small or 4 medium or 2 large, ends trimmed

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

Good grind of pepper

1 jumbo or 2 large eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Preheat oven to 425F, use convection bake if you have it.   Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 

If zucchini are small, just quarter (and maybe cut the quarters in half if you have long skinny zucchini.  If you have larger zucchini, cut into ½ inch slices. 

Mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, herbs and pepper in a shallow dish.   Beat the egg(s) in shallow bowl 

Dip each piece of zucchini in the beaten egg, then drop into the crumbs.  Press crumbs on all sides.  This goes a bit easier if you have one “wet” hand for the egg dip, and one “dry” hand for the crumbs.  Place each coated piece on the prepared sheet pan.   Drizzle the coated pieces with the olive oil.  

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, until brown and crispy.   No need to turn!  Sprinkle with salt when they come out of the oven.  Serve immediately with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, or marinara sauce.

Ranch Dressing

1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
     Or use Greek yogurt and less mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dill or other fresh herbs
Few drops of soy sauce
1 – 2 drops of hot sauce
Salt and pepper

Place the garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl while you get the rest of the ingredients together… this helps tame the raw garlic.   Whisk everything together.  Chill until ready to use.  Keeps for a few days.

Green Bean Salad with Mustard - Soy Dressing

When you live 10 minutes (walking) from the beach, family and friends are much  more likely to visit you.  Fortunately, I have the kind of family that you like to have come visit, and friends that are like family.  My dad gave me a great compliment when he was here ... "you make it look so easy".

And for me, cooking for family doesn't seem that hard.  In part because I like to do it, but I know a more than a few people that have decent cooking skills, but really struggle to be comfortable cooking for a crowd. Here are a few tips..

How much?  When you are used to cooking for 1 or 2, having 4 or 6 or more active people to feed (for days)  will take a lot more food than usual.   But don't go overboard, cooking way too much food is just extra work and makes it harder to cook because you can't find anything in the refrigerator.  Some rough guides on what's enough (so everyone is full, and maybe a few leftovers):

• Lean meat or fish: around 1/2 pound per person.  
• Fattier meat (like ribs or steaks) or whole birds (like turkey): about 1 pound per person.  
• Pasta: I generally figure that 1 lb will make 4 to maybe 5 servings, depending on appetite and what else is being served.
• Most grains (like rice): each cup (uncooked) will serve 2 - 3.  
• Potatoes: For my side of the family, it's about 1/2 lb + per person.  It's less for other families. 
• Veggies, like green beans or broccoli: This is a tough one for me, because I normally eat about 1/2 pound (or more) on my own.  But more normal people will eat much less.  Generally a "bunch" of broccoli or kale, or a pound of beans or squash will serve about 3 people if you are steaming or sauteing. Asparagus is about 2 people per bunch.  If you are roasting or grilling, people will eat more. 
• Pizza: For my recipe (12 ounce ball of dough) I figure 1 pizza for two people.

What?  First of all, cook food you are comfortable cooking.   If you want to try a new recipe, fine, but make sure it's just a riff on what you know how to do, not a shot in the dark.  I like things that don't generate a ton of dishes, like things off the grill.  Or pizza. Burritos or taco's.  Roast veggies. Salads.   Sometimes its handy to make things that you can do ahead, but it needs to be way ahead.. I'm at the beach too.  

Trick's: 

• Anything that you do make ahead, put in baggies when ever possible to minimize dishes. Marinate meats in baggies.  Store blanched vegetables in baggies. Put any pre-sliced or chopped things in baggies. 
• Put something simple out for people to munch on... cheese, nuts, olives, hummus, cut-up veggies, chips and guacamole.  Generally just 2 or 3 things. 
• Get help... think ahead of things for people to do when they ask "is anything I can do".  Salads are a good choice for help - just get out everything you want to go into in, or peeling potatoes, or anything you happen to know the person is good at (again, this works with family and good friends).    Roy (who gets no credit) is my secret weapon.  He takes care of getting wine out, setting the table, does the grilling.  

Here is an example of side that works well for a crowd and can be mostly be done ahead.  And if you don't have green beans, it works equally well on asparagus or broccoli.  The dressing is also excellent on salads.

Green Beans with Mustard-Soy Dressing

Serves 6

2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon salt

Blanch the beans:  bring a pot of water to boil over high heat, and fill a bowl with ice and water.   Add the salt and beans to the boiling water.  Cook for about 4 minutes.  Pull one bean out, swish in the ice water and taste for doneness.  Do this every minute or so until the beans are just done.  Using tongs, quickly pull the green beans out of the boiling water and into the ice water (the ice water part is important to keep the bright green color).    When cold, drain the beans.  Can be done up to 1 day ahead, store in plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Dressing:
3 ounces lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
5 ounces olive oil

Mix lemon juice, mustard, and soy sauce in graduated container with immersion blender.  Slowly add oil with blender running, add enough oil to have a nice thick dressing.   Can be done a few days ahead and refrigerated, let come to room temperature to use (the olive oil will get thick... or use a more neutral oil like grapeseed that does not get hard in the refrigerator).

Garnish (take your choice):
Roasted almond slivers or slices
Thin strips of red or sweet onion  (soak in cold water to take some heat out if needed)
Thin strips of red pepper
Thin slices of radish

To assemble:  Toss the beans with dressing (it might not take all of the dressing.. start with half or so).  If the beans are in a baggie, just add the dressing to the baggie and squish around.  Place on a serving dish and garnish. 

Farmers Markets

Several members of my family were here for a bit of summer vacation. I’m sad for them when they go back, not so much because they are going back to oppressive heat but because they just don’t have access to the wonderful fruits and vegetables we get here at the farmers markets. Like avocado’s. There are actually many different varieties with different seasons. Right now we can get giant Nabals, other times Bacon or Fuente. In between there are the Haas. Interesting fact: Avocados don’t get ripe on the trees, they need to be picked and then get soft in 10 days or so.

But beyond having access to the farmers markets, there is also some work needed once you get home. Especially when the farmers market is just once a week, and you want to eat fruits and vegetables every day! And you don’t want to face furry, slimy or smelly things in your kitchen later in the week.

Here are some of the things that I do to keep the farmers market bounty under control:

1. All greens (lettuce, kale, chard, herbs) get washed, spun dry in the salad spinner, and put on towels (cotton or paper). Pick out any bruised or yellow pieces. The towels get rolled up with the greens, and put into a plastic bag. The air is gently pushed out, and the bag sealed (I normally use twist ties). These get tossed in the fridge.

2. Root vegetables (carrots, turnips, radishes, beets) get the tops removed. For beet tops, treat them as greens (see step 1). The vegetables go into a clear plastic baggie. If they are especially dirty, wash, but make sure they are dry so as to not rot. They go into the refrigerator.

3. Other green vegetables – green beans, zucchini, broccoli, etc. Don’t wash, but again, I like to put into a clear bag. I really hate the big white bags most farmer’s market vendors have – they take up a lot of room, and you can’t see what you have. I generally just put the vegetables loose into my market bag when I get them and bag when I’m home, but this doesn’t work for things like green beans.

4. Things that need to ripen (avocado’s, tomatoes, peaches and other stone fruit): Put on the counter, I have an assortment of ceramic plates and shallow bowls to keep organized. Important: these things need to be checked EVERY day, and either get eaten (best) or put into the refrigerator. Tomatoes should just be eaten – only refrigerate as a last resort, as the flavor goes away and they get watery.

5. Anything especially tender (like berries) get checked (anything slightly mushed in transit should be eaten right then and there) and put into the fridge. Unless you are lucky enough to need to eat them that day.

And yes, it takes me more time to do this than actually shop, but I find that greens get eaten when I don’t have to stop and wash them, things that I see get used (or tossed at the first sign of slime), and the perfectly ripe fruit makes nieces very happy.

The NY Times recently published a story with similar advice to deal with summer’s bounty  with advice to do even more when you bring them into the house! I don’t start roasting vegetables when I get home, but I do try to immediately figure out what to do with any oddball stuff. When my brother was here, I picked up some okra – got home and found this recipe for okra pickles. I substituted cider vinegar for white, used mustard seed instead of pickling spice, and a dry red pepper instead of the jalapeno and cayenne pepper (but other than that, followed the recipe). I thought they were pretty yummy (even if a little bit slimy).

Back to avocado’s: Nothing says love like a big bowl of guacamole:

Guacamole

This is a general guideline; adjust to your own taste and what you have on hand:

Onion: ¼ to ½ cup finely chopped
Garlic: one small clove, finely chopped. Optional.
Something red: One medium tomato or ½ red bell, chopped
Something hot: 1+ jalapeños or a teaspoon of chili powder or other pepper to taste
Spice: about a ½ teaspoon of cumin
Salt: a good pinch, guessing about ¼ to ½ teaspoon
Avocado: about 3 normal sized Hass, but substitute any variety.
Acid: juice of a couple of limes or a lemon.
Cilantro: like a ¼ cup or so, finely chopped. Use as much or little as you want.

Put everything into a bowl. For the avocados, cut in half, remove pit, cross cut in the shell, then scoop out with a spoon. Squeeze the citrus on the avocado to keep the avocado from turning brown. Mix with a fork, gently mashing the avocado, making sure to leave some chunks. (If the avocados are less ripe, be a bit less gentle). Taste – add more heat, salt, acid as needed (if serving with chips, use a chip to taste). Serve immediately, or press plastic wrap directly on the surface and store in the fridge.

Artichokes...

Name most any vegetable, and I can tell you at least 5 different ways to cook it.  But artichokes I always eat the same way.  Just steamed.   As a kid, I always dipped them in mayonnaise.  But now, I do a mayonnaise based dip based on the French version of mayonnaise called Aoili.  But (gasp) I do a shortcut using (gasp) real mayonnaise (as in Best Foods Real Mayonnaise, not mayonnaise you would really make).

Aioli – like dipping sauce

A big spoonful of plain 2% yogurt (Greek or regular)
A small spoonful of Mayonnaise

A small splash of olive oil (optional)
One small clove of garlic, finely minced
A big squeeze of lemon juice

Mix together with a small whisk. Perfect for Artichokes.

I'm always surprised at how salty this tastes..  since most of the bulk is from unsalted yogurt (goes to how much salt is in mayonnaise) and how much flavor a little lemon juice and garlic can add.

Here is a good way to steam the chokes... the only think I would add is to wipe the cut surfaces of the artichoke with a lemon slice, then throw the slice into the cooking water.  

And artichokes are in season!

Pesto

My aunt asked for my freezer pesto recipe last week, and I was surprised that I had not blogged about it yet, it’s one of the things that is a staple at my house, generally as pizza sauce.

If you have basil in your garden, now is a good time to harvest large quantities, as the weather starts to cool, the basil plants seem to get tired.  I have a couple of basil plants in my garden which although have been quite healthy (and good tasting) have stayed fairly small, I might try to find some basil at the farmers market this weekend. 

I start by picking off the leaves, then rinsing (and if they are especially dirty, putting into a sink full of water), then spinning dry in my salad spinner.  I lay out on towels try dry a bit more.   From there, you can either make freezer pesto or full pesto, both recipes follow. And this freezing method works for most any herb. I have done both parsley and cilantro (without the garlic). They stay quite bright green and tasty.

Freezer Pesto:

2 - 4 cloves of garlic

Enough fresh basil leaves to fill food processor bowl, washed and patted dry 

Or about 2 cups packed fairly tightly

½ cup olive oil

Turn on food processor fitted with blade and drop the garlic through the feed bowl.  Let process until most of it is stuck to the sides. Scrape down, add the basil.  Process w/ pulse on/off until basil is chopped.

Turn the motor on, and add olive oil in a slow, steady stream.  

Immediately (so that it does not get dark) put the mixture in a 1 quart freezer bag. Press out the air and seal.  Then draw into quarters, and fold the bag to keep separate.  Alternately, put mixture into a container and press plastic wrap onto surface.  Freeze until ready to use.

Pesto: The full fledged recipe.

Makes 2 cups.

4 oz. Parmesan cheese (can use part Romano)

3 - 4 cloves of garlic

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry (packed fairly tightly)

½ to 1 cup walnuts or pine nuts 

~ 3/4 cup olive oil 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the cheese into chunks, and process with blade in food processor until finely grated.  Pour out of food processor and set aside.

Put bowl with blade back on base (don’t need to clean the bowl), turn on and drop the garlic through the feed bowl.  Let process until most of it is stuck to the sides.  Scrape down; add the basil and nuts.  Process w/ pulse on/off until basil is chopped.

Turn the motor on, and add olive oil in a slow, steady stream.  

Shut the motor off; add the cheese, a big pinch of salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine, the scrap out into a bowl and cover until ready to use (press a piece of plastic wrap right onto the surface to keep from turning dark.  Will keep for several days. 

How to use: 

Pasta with Pesto:   Cook 1 lb. of Linguine.  Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons pasta water, ¼ cup cream (or milk or greek yogurt), and 1 cup pesto in large bowl.  Drain pasta, return to bowl and toss (add a bit more pasta water if its too thick), add a good grind of pepper. Sometimes I make the pesto without any nuts, and serve this with toasted pine nuts on top.  

Rice with Pesto:  Add a big spoon full of pesto to cooked rice. 

Pesto bread: Spread pesto on slices of French bread, broil/toast until bubbly.

What to do with freezer pesto:

Thaw, mix with cheese, etc. to get full pesto.

Throw a frozen chunk into a batch of spaghetti sauce.

Thaw, mix with a can of tomato sauce and use for pizza sauce.

Thaw, mix with a little more olive oil and use for pizza sauce

Throw a frozen chunk into rice that’s almost done, finish with a bit of grated cheese.

Throw a frozen chunk to a big pot of soup that’s almost done.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate is to Valentine's day like turkey is to Thanksgiving... so I thought I would share one of my favorite (and easiest) chocolate recipe.  It's my basic chocolate sauce, good for ice cream and great for Angle Food Cake (and Angle Food cake is to my birthday like wings are to the Super bowl).

To make this, you just need chocolate, a dairy product, and an optional extra flavor. For chocolate, something like Scharffen Berger bittersweet or semi sweet is best, but;chocolate chips work fine. I figure about an ounce or so for 2 servings.  Next is a dairy product, half and half is best, but you can use cream, milk, even soy milk. And finally is an extra flavor, like Grand Mariner, Cognac, vanilla, or a bit of espresso.  This scales easily for more people.

Start by putting the chocolate in microwave proof bowl:

Then add the half and half, about this much:

Then microwave until it starts to boil:

For a small batch like this, it only takes 30 seconds or so.Take it out... the chocolate won't be all melted yet:

But start to stir, and it should turn into a nice, dark sauce:

Optional at this point is to add something like Cognac or Amaretto (what ever would be nice with what you are putting it on), just a teaspoon or so. Or you can add a bit of vanilla, or some espresso.

Finally, serve. For ice cream, one of us likes some chocolate sauce on the ice cream.... the other likes a little ice cream with her chocolate sauce. Works perfectly!

Salad Dressing

It’s probably some sign of obsession, but there are not any bottles of salad dressing in the refrigerator.   I have made vinaigrette for years, but at some point (the point likely being the Italy trip), we just stopped using bottled salad dressing.  I finally tossed the ¼ full jars.    Most of the time I’m happy with oil and vinegar based dressing; it’s easy to alternate the oils and vinegar to keep it interesting. But every so often I am hungry for a creamy dressing.  And most creamy recipes either call for raw eggs (which I’m OK to eat, but not really willing to serve to anyone) or make 2+ cups of dressing and goes bad a few days.  But finally I have found a recipe that works for me, and the ingredients are things that often are in my house (OK, buttermilk may not be in your fridge, but around my house it goes into waffles, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and any muffin recipe that calls for milk).

Creamy Dressing:
1 small clove garlic, smashed and mashed to a paste with a bit of salt
Scant ¼ cup plain yogurt (I use Greek 2%)
Scant ¼ cup mayonnaise (Best Foods)
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon white wine or Sherry vinegar
Fresh ground pepper
Whisk everything together in a small bowl.  Keep refrigerated and use within a few days.

Options:  Add 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (I have some Maytag Blue cheese ready to try this!)

Vinaigrette Dressing

Adjust quantity as needed, I usually make about ½ this much in a 1 cup plastic container.

1/3 – 1/2 cup wine vinegar (red or white or balsamic or sherry)
2/3 cup olive or walnut oil
1 teaspoon Dijon or some fancy mustard you don’t know what else to do with
salt, pepper to taste

Put everything in a sealed container and shake well, or whisk together in a bowl.
Store indefinitely in the refrigerator.  If you use olive oil, it will get thick, just remember to get it out a little ahead of time.  Walnut oil (which is also good for you, maybe even better than olive oil) has good flavor – and – doesn’t solidify when cold.

A couple of notes:  you can use garlic in this as well, but use right away.  Garlic in olive oil is a good breeding ground for botulism.   This is tasty for a marinade if you use a 1:1 ratio of oil and vinegar,  lots of herbs, and maybe extra mustard.

June

What a month.  I suspect Phoenix will set some kind of record for # of day’s in June over 110F, which was even more delightful on Friday when ash from the Ethan fire (no relation to our dog) was falling on the house…  Roy suggested that we go to the neighbor’s and start their fire pit, just to see what hell was really like.  But hot or not, we have had a great display of flowers on our night blooming cereus cactus.

I have been busy in the kitchen (as a side note: its way cooler slaving over a hot stove in the air-conditioned house than doing anything outside on the grill).  I made Apricot Jam, which didn’t seem very hard… just cook chopped apricots, sugar (2:1 ratio) along with a bit of lemon juice until its jam.  I didn’t make much, so it’s just in the fridge for PB&J sandwiches.  As a follow-up, I made peach sauce (which is really good on Roy’s waffles). You make this just like apricot jam, but with peaches and you don’t quite cook as long.  I bought a bunch of peaches at the farmers market so have more in the freezer… maybe I will try some peach jam later.  But I think that this week is the last week we will see peaches a the farmers market (and the apricots are long gone..  but still getting good tomatoes).     I also made soufflés for the first time… Its not that hard, but don’t expect it to be a week night staple – way to many dirty dishes. Let me know if you want the recipe.  

My adventure has been swimming class. The name of the class is the Mile Club (at the Awatukee Y).I figured this meant the goal of the class was to get you to be able to swim a mile.  What they really intend is that you swim a mile every class, which includes a bunch of drills where you only do one part of a swim stroke (like breath).  I really never realized that there was so much to think about when swimming, its almost as bad as golf.   Some of the people can actually swim more than one lap without resting (not me..yet), so  the swim coach said she would start teaching us flip turns.. and bring a video camera.  Let’s hope she doesn’t post them on youtube.

The biggest highlight was celebrating our 25th Anniversary (which sounds much better than a Silver Anniversary, implying that you should have grandchildren and drive a Buick).   We celebrated by going to Tucson and staying at the Westward Look (same place we stayed for our honeymoon), and having dinner at Janos.  Here’s to another 25!

Thanksgiving

I will be hosting a small gathering for family, total count will be 7.  I’ve ordered an organic, pasture raised turkey, they smallest they had was 12-14 pounds.  Assuming it comes in on the small side, I am planning to do a “deconstructed” turkey.  You cut up the turkey, into a full breast with wings, legs with thighs, and everything else.  Everything else (back, neck, etc) is used to make a very nice broth, the thighs get stuffed.  To roast, the breast sits on a pile of stuffing and the legs sit along side.  This cooks much quicker than a full bird.  The full recipe is in the Julia and Jacques Cook book (which is one of my very favorite cook books).  In addition, I’ll make mashed potatoes. gravy, cranberry sauce (this is really easy, see below for the recipe), and a few vegetable sides.  Maybe a squash gratin, maybe a cornbread dressing with roasted fall vegetables…  it’s wheat free corn bread with lots of vegetables, but I’ll need to find a dish that fits in the toaster oven to make this work.   But when else are you going to eat parsnips and rutabagas? (and if its good, I'll post the recipe next year!) And of course there will be pies for dessert, both pumpkin and pecan unless someone gets a better idea.

Let me know what makes the perfect Thanksgiving meal for you!

So, to keep you interested in Thanksgiving and NOT Christmas (no matter how many of our neighbors already have their Christmas light up already), here are two favorites:


Creamy Winter Squash Gratin

8 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
2 teaspoons butter
2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups 1% milk
1/3 cup flour
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 clove garlic
2 (1 oz) slices bread
2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400F

Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or use cooking spray).  Bake for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks and salt, cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.   Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk.  Add milk mixture to pan, bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Add cheese, pepper, and nutmeg, stir until cheese melts.  Gently stir in squash. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with a cooking spray.

Mince garlic in food processor.  Break bread into pieces, add with parsley to food processor.  Pulse, then process into crumbs.  Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over squash mixture.  Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup).

Do ahead: prepare the gratin a day ahead and refrigerate, store the bread crumb topping separately. Let sit for a while at room temperature, add crumbs, then bake at 400o for 30 minutes or until brown.

Cranberry Sauce not from A Can

I think the cinnamon and vanilla really make this special (not to mention the lack of a tin-can taste), I always use tangerine juice since we just start getting them about this time)

Cooking Time: About 15 min.
Prep Time: About 5 min.
Makes:  3 1/2 cups, about 12 servings  (about as much as two cans)

6 cups (2 bags, 12 oz. each) fresh cranberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tangerine juice                 
(or use orange juice with a tablespoon of lemon juice added)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla

Put everything except vanilla in a saucepan, and over high heat bring to simmering. Turn down heat, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are tender (lots of them pot open), about 10 minutes.

Stir in vanilla, let cool.  Serve, or chill airtight up to 1 week.

Pesto

Seems that I am getting behind in blogging, which I will  blame on finding a new way to waste time on the computer, which is Chowhound, a foodie discussion board.  There are lots of folks in Phoenix posting about local restaurants, I also find the home cooking section interesting.  If you take a look, yes, my tag line is Firecooked.

About a week ago, I made my first big cutting of basil from my herb garden.  I think everyone should have an herb garden.. it is a lot less effort than growing vegetables, and there is something wonderful about going out before dinner and cutting some herbs.    This time of year, a lot of the herbs are a bit tired from the heat (and some things, like parsley and cilantro are long gone), but basil is just hitting its prime.  I did have to put some cages around mine this spring (basil is an annual, and you need to re-start every spring) to keep the rabbits from munching the tender little plants (surprising, the herb of rabbits which inhabit the yard seem pretty much content to just eat grass and not herbs, but baby basil is the exception). 

With the first mass cutting of basil (think a pile about a foot in diameter, and a foot high), I always make pesto… the full recipe with parmesan cheese, nuts, olive oil and of course, garlic.   After I pick a bunch, I pick off the leaves (just pinch with my thumb nail), and put them in my salad spinner.  I give them a rinse then spin, and put out on paper towels to finish drying.  Every pesto recipe you look at calls for “packed cups” of basil, but I really hate mushing it to measure.  I have figured “2 cups packed basil” is just under half full of loose leaves in my Cuisinart.  Although I always start the pesto making with a full, traditional basil, mostly I make a “pesto starter” with basil, garlic, and olive oil, then freeze it to use the rest of the year.  It really keeps well, I have been putting about 1 cup in a quart size Ziploc baggie, push out any air and seal, then make cross lines and fold into quarters. I can use the whole thing, or most often, just pull out a quarter at a time.  Adding a chunk of this mixture to soup or pasta, or thawing a spreading on pizza dough is like adding some summer to your dinner… any time of the year.

If you don't have any basil plants (next year... they are pretty enough to grow instead of flowers), try either the farmers market or Trader Joes to get big quantities for pesto.

PESTO

Pesto: The full fledged recipe.
Makes 2 cups.

4 oz. Parmesan cheese
3 - 4 cloves of garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry (packed fairly tightly)
½ to 1 cup walnuts or pine nuts
~ 3/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the cheese into chunks, and process with blade in food processor until finely grated.  Pour out of food processor and set aside.

Put bowl with blade back on base (don’t need to clean the bowl), turn on and drop the garlic through the feed bowl.  Let process until most of it is stuck to the sides.  Scrape down; add the basil and nuts.  Process w/ pulse on/off until basil is chopped.

Turn the motor on, and add olive oil in a slow, steady stream. 

Shut the motor off; add the cheese, a big pinch of salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine, the scrap out into a bowl and cover until ready to use (press a piece of plastic wrap right onto the surface to keep from turning dark.  Will keep for several days.

Freezer Pesto:
2 - 4 cloves of garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry (packed fairly tightly)
½ cup olive oil (or just enough to get a thick paste)

Turn on food processor fitted with blade and drop the garlic through the feed bowl.  Let process until most of it is stuck to the sides.  Scrape down, add the basil.  Process w/ pulse on/off until basil is chopped.

Turn the motor on, and add olive oil in a slow, steady stream. 

Put  into a quart freezer baggie.  Press out air, and make indents into quarters.  Freeze until ready to use.

Pasta with Pesto:
Cook 1 lb. of Linguine.  Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons pasta water, ¼ cup cream (or use all milk), 1 cup pesto.  Drain pasta, return to pan, add pesto mix and toss.
Serve immediately, with more pepper and cheese. 

Rice with Pesto:
Add a big spoon full of pesto to cooked white rice.

Pesto bread:
Spread pesto on slices of French bread, broil/toast until bubbly.

What to do with freezer pesto:

Thaw, mix with cheese, etc. to get full pesto.
Throw a frozen quarter chunk into a batch of spaghetti sauce.
Thaw, mix with a can of tomato sauce and use for pizza sauce.
Thaw, mix with a little more olive oil and use for pizza sause
Throw a frozen quarter chunk into rice that’s almost done.
Throw a frozen chunk to a big pot of soup that’s almost done.

Mangos

Today we hit another summer milestone, the first day you walk out of the house at the crack of dawn (so 5-something early-am) to walk the dog, and its noticeably warmer outside than inside my 80F house.    (This is followed by later in the summer where you walk out at 5am and just burst into flames).

The good news is they are going to try to go all summer at the Ahwatukee farmers market. It’s on Sunday, and they are now starting at 8am.   The find for the last couple of weeks has been mango’s, the really good kind.    There are two types of  Mangos (ok, there are probably more than that, but I’ll stick to what I know).  First are the ones you find in grocery stores, what I know as Mexican mangos.  They have been bred to ship well, and are pretty good if you let them ripen (these will go from green to a pretty rose/gold shade when ripe) but tend to be a bit fibrous.  The other kind of mangos, the really good kind, are Philippine mangos.   I first had them in Manila (when I had to go there periodically for work, I tried to go in February, which is when mango’s are in season and before the summer monsoon’s hit).  These mango’s are generally a little smaller, more yellow (no red color at all), and really sweet and juicy, not fibrous… in fact, you can cut them with a tableknife (the sharpest knife they will leave in the hotel room).  And they have had them for the last couple of weeks at the farmers market.   I am not sure what the season is in Phoenix, but glad they are growing them!

Mangos are a bit tricky to eat.   You need to peel them, they are somewhat slimy once the peel is off, and they have a strange flat seed inside.  Here is how to be a mango master (this works for either kind of mango):  After washing the mango, hold it in your hand with stem end up, and you will notice that its wider in one direction.  With a paring knife, starting at the middle of the top, slice down with the knife running across the widest dimension.  Once you are through the skin, you will hit the seed. Let the knife go either right or left, and slice down along the seed, you should just feel the seed with the knife.  Cut all the way through so half is cut off.  Repeat for the other side.  You will be left with a slice from the middle that’s about ¼ inch or a little wider.   Next, pick up a half, and gently make criss-cross cuts, in the size you want (small, like a ¼ inch for salsa, closer to an inch to just eat). Just push on the skin and turn inside out, and scoop off with a spoon.  There is a bit of fruit you can still get off the seed, cut off the skin, and then cut the remaining fruit from the edge (maybe a ¼ inch or so).   That’s it.

Mangos are good with ice cream or just to eat straight, but I really like Mango Salsa.  Its great with grilled fish or chicken, with chips or on sandwich, or dumped into a salad (with a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing).  Here is a recipe to try, feel free to adjust to your taste!   It will keep for several days.

Mango Salsa

1 Mango (preferably a Philippine mango), diced (¼ inch)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ to ½ a bell pepper (yellow or red), diced
¼ teaspoon chili power*, or a bit of finely minced Jalapeño (to taste -- going for a mild heat)
About 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of salt
Juice of ~ ½ a small lemon
Cilantro (optional)

Mix everything together, adjust sal t, chile, and lemon to taste.   Best if done a couple of hours ahead of time, and this will keep for several day’s.

* I have been using a green chili powder from Native seed search which is quite yummy  (thanks Barb!)