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By mlb, on May 30th, 2007%
I was in New Seasons the other day buying some halibut and as I was walking through the produce sections I saw the cutest thing — garlic tops.
“Oh!” I thought to myself, “need to buy! Cuuute!”
Then I got home and realized I had no idea what to do with them. I did a little online searching and found this page — Mary Jane’s Farm about garlic scapes, which I think are slightly younger versions of my tops but I figured it was close enough.
I made the pesto, using half parm and half feta. I also added some pine nuts. Wow! The garlic! It burns! (But in a good way). I mixed about a tablespoon into a big bowl of hot pasta with some olive oil to start, as it did seem a little strong. But — by the middle of the meal, jwa and I were spreading the extra pesto on bread and mixing more of it into the pasta. So, so good. Just make sure you really like garlic.
Garlic Tops Pesto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1/4 lb scapes (garlic tops)
1/2 cup . . . → Read More: They Are so Cute — Now What Do I Do with Them?
By mlb, on May 29th, 2007%
This is another one of those cleaning the cabinets type of projects. This time it was a big can of tuna and a small can of black olives. Oh and I also got to use an avocado that really needed to be used. Not bad — a tasty meal and room in the cabinet for more cans of things I won’t use for six months. Hooray!
Since the sauce is nice, cool and creamy this also makes a great light meal when it’s hot out.
For sauce
Based on a recipe from Gourmet magazine
1 medium avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 jalapeno chile (including seeds), stemmed and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup fat-free milk
For tuna cakes
Based on eating frugally in grad school and jwa’s love of olives
1 12 oz can tuna in water, drained and flaked into a bowl
1 egg
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 – 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (+ 1/3 cup more for coating)
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional garnish: 1 tomato, sliced
Make sauce:
Pulse avocado with mayonnaise, . . . → Read More: Tuna Cakes with Spicy Avocado Sauce
By mlb, on May 24th, 2007%
This month’s Sugar High Friday 31 is hosted by Seven Spoons and the theme is — “Shades of White.” Fun! Of course, it would have been nice if I had realized that my post was supposed to be up at the beginning of the week but I read the announcement wrong…Hopefully, I can sneak my entry in!
This is a neutral shade and S-I-M-P-L-E to make. Chocolate. Nuts. Assorted flavor whatnots (lavender + orange zest). That is all.
White Chocolate Clusters with Lavender & Orange Zest
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup cashews (edited to add: I used roasted, lightly salted)
1/2 tsp dried lavender
1/2 tsp orange zest
To begin, put the chips, orange zest and lavender in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between each time, until the chocolate is melted. You could also, of course, use a double-boiler for this.
Add the cashews to the melted chocolate and mix until all the nuts are coated.
Scoop 3-4 cashews out in a cluster. I found using two spoons worked well for this. Drop the clusters on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Let cool for about 15 minutes, then pop into . . . → Read More: SHF31: White Chocolate Cashew Clusters with Lavender & Orange Zest
By mlb, on May 23rd, 2007%
This is based on a recipe by Michael Chiarello that used potatoes instead of white beans. I thought white beans would go really well with the lemon, garlic and rosemary, as I love white bean dip with all those ingredients. My hypothesis was correct.
Be careful to rinse, drain and pat the beans a little with a paper towel or the extra moisture on the beans could cause the olive oil to splatter a bit. The beans don’t get crunchy per se, but they do get a little dry and golden brown. They definitely gain some flavor from the heat of the pan.
The sauce is indeed lemony. Add the butter, it will be good. Also, a little feta cheese on the top of the plated chicken is tasty. Trust me on that one.
Chicken with White Beans, Rosemary & Lemon
(Serves two like this; double for four)
1 lemon
salt & pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 15-oz can white beans, rinsed, drained, and patted dry with a paper towel
2 small cloves garlic, minced (or 1 large clove)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I think I added . . . → Read More: Better Than a Dip for Dinner: Chicken with White Beans, Rosemary & Roasted Lemon
By mlb, on May 20th, 2007%
One of the things I really like about working downtown is the Wednesday Farmer’s Market in the Park blocks. This week, I hiked up there with the intention of finding ingredients for a pizza, as I had just come across a dough recipe in Fine Cooking that I wanted to try out.
My trip was a complete success as I scored some fresh green garlic, a big spring onion, local Mozzarella, tomatoes on the vine and some spinach. And I’m happy to report this dough experiment was also a complete success and I am becoming less and less afraid of yeast bread making. Hooray!
Easy Pizza Dough
From Fine Cooking magazine
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) active-dry yeast
1-1/2 cups very warm water (100-110°F)
18 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour; more for dusting
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive oil
First, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside for a few minutes (5-10). Then, put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix. With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream. Turn the processor off and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.
 . . . → Read More: Farmer’s Market Pizza with Easy Pizza Dough
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