QUINOA + KALE PATTIES

First off, I wanted to thank you for all of your kind and enthusiastic responses about my book news. I'm deeply grateful and all the more inspired to make a delectable cookbook for all of you!

Okay. Now, let's get back to cooking...

After 3 years of growing food in our backyard, we're finally really getting what works and what doesn't. It pained us to recently tear out our entire raspberry patch, when we accepted that it just wasn't getting enough sun. But when it comes to greens and herbs, we can rock them all year round. Kale is the family fave and we have a whole bed devoted to growing all sorts of varietals - now we don't even have to make a trip to the market to procure some tasty greens. This makes my inner lazy cook especially happy!

Ever since I got Heidi Swanson's book last year, I've been wanting to make her quinoa patties. I often find myself with leftover cooked quinoa in the fridge and I end up eating it with all sorts of things... leftover roasted chicken, salsa, herbs, beans, and almost always avocado. Transforming leftover quinoa into hearty little savory cakes is brilliant and I love the versatility of Heidi's recipe. I think you could use quinoa or any other grain here - brown rice, millet, and/or amaranth would all be delish. And adding veggies to the mix seemed like a natural addition:  if you don't have kale, try spinach, broccoli, shitake mushrooms  - whatever you have on hand, or grow in your own backyard. Avocado, salsa verde, lemon, salt, cilantro, and garlic oil all were tasty topping for the patties we made, and I can imagine so many more ways to enjoy these savory cakes - I'm sure you can too.

POTATO GALETTE

Crispy layers of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in duck fat... Yep, this is my kind of food.

Doesn't this potato galette beg to sit aside a nice roast for New Eve Year's?  No pressure. If you can't get to this galette recipe this week, bookmark it for 2012 for a simple supper with roasted chicken and a green salad.

Wishing all of you a healthy, joyous & delicious new year!

INGREDIENTS from Bon Appetit December 2011
(printable recipe)

• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (plus a bit more to rub on a parchment-lined baking sheet)
• 2 Tablespoons rendered duck fat (you should be able to find duck fat at your specialty grocer, or you can use bacon drippings)
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled
• 1 small sweet onion (like Maui or Walla Walla)
• extra equipment: outer ring of 9 inch spring form cake pan

Preheat oven to 425.

Place the caraway seeds in a small saute pan. Heat over medium/high heat for a few minutes until seeds are nicely toasted. Set aside. When the seeds have cooled, crush them with a mortar and pestle.

Melt duck fat and 2 tablespoons of butter. Place in a large bowl with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds.

Slice potatoes (using a mandolin if you've got one) into 1/8 inch thick rounds. Toss them with the butter and seasonings in the large bowl until well coated in yumminess.

Peel and thinly slice onion and toss in a smaller bowl with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Cover a baking sheet with a layer of parchment. Place the spring form on top of the parchment. Brush the parchment with a little melted butter to avoid sticking.

Take 1/4 of the sliced potatoes and arrange them within the spring form ring. Then add a layer of onion. Continue layering a couple more times until all the potatoes and onions are layered up. Please, make sure to have a potato layer on top. Carefully remove ring.

Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes until potatoes are tender, then brush the top of the galette with one last tablespoon of melted butter. Put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Edges of potatoes should be crisp and the whole galette should be a nice golden brown.

Season with a sprinkling of additional salt if desired. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Serves 6

FISH WRAPPED IN BANANA LEAF

When I met Tonok, I knew I wanted to cook with him. I was eating a delicious curry chicken salad for lunch at the Bloo Lagoon and I peered into the outdoor kitchen to find Tonok at work. I told him how much I enjoyed his salad and he smiled broadly. He knew his food was good. I don’t mean to be hokey here, but Tonok’s food has that thing, that secret to all tasty food - love. This guy loves to cook and it comes through in the dishes he serves. As we started chatting, limited by his English and my non-existent Balinese and Indonesian, I asked him about cooking and his arms would start waving, he would give me a vigorous thumb’s up, and his smile would grow wide. I had heard that the Bloo Lagoon offered cooking classes so I asked him if he could teach me some of his favorite dishes. With total authority, he planned a meal of traditional Balinese food that we would make together the next day.

The next morning Tonok and I went to the local morning market in Padangbai. Without having my morning “Bali Coffee” aka Balinese jet fuel, I was bleary eyed until the action of the market woke me up. This tiny market, only half-a-block long, was jammin’.

Baskets of bananas, pineapples, and papayas lined the street. Women were weaving palm fronds and selling a rainbow of flowers for offerings.

Fresh, shiny fish were displayed on planks of wood.

And there were so many intriguing hand-made packages of just-prepared treats. With Tonok’s help in identifying the mysterious eats,  I started snapping up goodies: two newspaper packages of cooked yellow rice with spices; another paper-wrapped meal of pork on a stick, herbs and rice; black rice pudding. I even abandoned the squeamish American in me and bought a funky cassava, shaved coconut, and palm sugar treat made by a grandmother as I waited. What would the Health Department say?

I felt hungry and triumphant with this indulgent spree that cost me less than a buck.

Quinoa Tabouli

What to do with quinoa? Here's a tasty recipe....

1 cup quinoa
3 large tomatoes, chopped or cherry tomatoes quartered would be nice
1 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup scallion, finely chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons mint, finely chopped
salt to taste

First rinse quinoa several times. Then mix quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Let cool to room temp.
Mix all ingredients with the quinoa, add salt to your liking, and you've got your tabouli.

This is a great dish to bring to a picnic.

Serves 6

Summer Vegetable Frittata

In an effort to be more environmentally and financially conscientious, our family has greatly reduced its meat intake lately. I have struggled, though, to find meals that are enjoyable for everyone and feel substantial enough after years of having meat main courses.

I've often made quiches, using the store bought shells, but have recently migrated to this simple, yummy, and healthy frittata recipe - adapted from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food.

The great thing about this recipe is its versatility. You have zucchini - use it. You have lots of onions - great. Asparagus - perfect! You can also play with the veggie to egg ratio depending upon the meal you want. I tend to load on the veggies and use the egg more as a binding.

I use an oven-proof non-stick frying pan.

Ingredients:

Veggies (2-6 cups chopped)

Eggs (3-8)

Herbs

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic (3ish cloves, chopped)

Preheat oven to 350.

Saute all your veggies in olive oil, sprinkled with salt. Get them to the tenderness you want, as they will not cook much once combined with eggs. Today I used about 8 zucchini and some spring onions.

Meanwhile, crack eggs and combine with chopped garlic and herbs. Today, I used 5 eggs and a lot of basil from the garden (I would have added mint also but thought it might push the kids over the edge). Whisk mixture.

Once veggies are done cooking, mix them into the egg mixture.

Add 2T more olive oil to pan so that it will be well-lubricated (and will make it easier to remove frittata). Pour in egg and veggie mixture after a few seconds of heating. As the eggs set, lift the edges with a spatula to allow the egg to flow underneath. Continue to cook until mostly set.

I added a generous amount of goat cheese to the top.

Place in the oven for 7-10 mins (depending upon number of eggs, etc). Today, mine cooked for 9 mins. Check it until it appears set on top.

Invert onto plate (I invert it again bc I think it's prettier that way!).

Enjoy! I've served this as a bfast, a lunch, and a dinner. I recently made a couple for a dinner party, served with a big hearty salad and bread. Delish.