Fresh Approach Cooking

Labels: blueberries, Chicken, Entree, LittleBlueDynamos, Side-Dish

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When you garden and you get your little hands on a seed catalog…well…lemme tell ya, it's pretty hard to pick what to get first.

Most people (well, maybe just me, but I like to think its most people too) go a bit mad and order enough seeds to fill a few acres of land, instead of the small plot they most likely have.

(Again, maybe just me…)

And it’s so hard to pick what to get, too. With new varieties there is no way to know what will thrive, what you will really love and so on.

I remember my first-ever glance at the amazing, terrific, words-cannot-describe, Seed Savers Exchange catalog. Every glossy page had my eyes wide and my mind reeling for days. Peaches, you have no idea. I wanted it ALL.

Beans and tomatoes and chiles, oh MY.

Luckily, I am a girl who has a pretty good grasp on my own little (gardening skill) limitations, (after catching my breath) so I just stuck with a few things, including these beautiful Sultan’s Golden Crescent beans. (Which I let curl up the corn stalks. Pretty glam, eh?) I mean…this is from their catalog:

"Rarely offered and almost extinct. SSE is pleased to reintroduce this variety. Very distinct curly yellow snap bean, stringless, prolific and very good taste.”

Rare, with good taste. Naturally, I had to give them a go.

And go they did! Go-go-pole-beans! Up-up and away.

Then it came time to eat them. Mmm. Mmm. So delicious.

Now you may not have them (I can't imagine you do…) but Im betting you can get yourself some regular string-less pole beans, and those will work just dandy. Uh-huh. Dandy indeed.

And in an effort to highlight the wonder that is these darlings, you may want to do something simple and fresh. Just like this.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

1 pound string beans, trimmed
2 T mayonnaise
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 T minced dill
1 T minced shallot
A few leaves of basil, torn
¼ cup fresh mozzarella (I got mine from the Hollywood Farmers market...mmm.)
Salt and pepper

Plunge the beans in to a large pot of boiling, salted water. Let cook for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients. (Except the cheese.) Season to taste. Add the cheese and let it marinate for up to a day.

Add the beans, season again and serve.

Serves four as a side dish.

© 2009 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2009 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com If you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.

String beans are green beans with "strings" that are tough to eat and should be removed.

Would you like to follow me on Twitter? http://twitter.com/ChickswKnives

Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from meat. So add some fruit salsa to your grilled steak or burger.

Labels: Salad, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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Last Sunday night I was expounding (as I am prone to do) to an enthralled audience (I'm sure...) on the difference between beets and chard, when someone stated that they are nothing alike, from a nutrition standpoint.

Well. She was just plain wrong.

And, of course, exactly right.

Beets and chard are not much alike - nutritionally.

One is a sugary root and the other is a leaf for heavens sake.

But I was talking about beet greens.

Which are nutritionally quite similar to chard, only a bit of a different color and texture...because chard is just a variety of beet in which the root is not overly developed.

In other words (and much like this post) I wasn't clear about what I was talking about. Since I was talking about beet greens.

And to think, I used to work in "communications." The irony is not lost on me. (And I do hope that is the proper use of that word.)

The good news is, I have this space to clarify (or not, depending on if this is clear to you.) and to post a nutritional power-house recipe for chard and chick peas.

A quick side-dish. It is perfect with brown rice or as a filling for tacos. I also like to use the left-overs in a fritatta.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

1 bunch chard, sliced thin
1 bunch beet greens, sliced thin
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
juice and zest of one small tangerine
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 large beet, cooked and diced
1 cup chick peas (boiled or canned, whichever)

Rinse the greens and set aside. Do not dry.

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the shallot and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the greens and fruit juice and zest. Saute until wilted. Add the beets and chick peas and stir to heat through.

Serves four.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.comIf you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.

Chard - n. - Long succulent whitish stalks with large green leaves; Beet lacking swollen root.

The beet (Beta vulgaris) is a plant in the amaranth family. It is best known its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is probably the red root vegetable known as the garden beet. However, other cultivated varieties include the leaf vegetables chard and spinach beet, as well as the root vegetables sugar beet, which is important in the production of table sugar. - Wiki

Misshapen fruit and vegetables won a reprieve on Wed from th EU as it scrapped rules banning overly curved, extra knobbly or oddly shaped produce from markets. Ending regulations on the size and shape of 26 types of fruit and vegetables, authorities killed off restrictions that had become synonymous with bureaucratic meddling. In July, these standards for the 26 products, as varied as peas and plums, will disappear. For 10 other types of fruit and vegetables, including apples, citrus, peaches, pears, strawberries and tomatoes, shape standards will remain. – NY TIMES

Labels: Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Tell me peaches, are you taking part in the Eat Local Challenge?

You know...one month of 100-mile diet/local eating? Brilliant concept.
Important concept.

I'm on day six and rockin it like no other. (With exceptions of course. Since there isn't much alcohol for those cocktails produced in these parts. Yet.)

And talk about fab-tastic diet! I feel so invigorated and empowered and sassy. Supporting local farmers and the local economy.

Plain and simple, it's the best! (Plus, I swear, I lost that stubborn 3 pounds I am always whinging about. Most happy!)

I could go on and on, but since most of you aren't in a temperate climate, it may not be the easiest thing for you to take part in. But no worries, since this recipe can be made any old place. Texas, for instance. (Since I assume, based on the name - that is where it originated.)

It's just a bean-dream. All kinds of yum. Makes a girl smile.

The flavors are smokey and salty and creamy (that be the beans) and nutty (beans again) and get better n' better after a day or so of marinating. And it is totally open to being fussed with so you can really do whatever you like to make it your own. I personally served it as a side dish, but I hear tell that in Texas it is actually a kind of salsa. (As in, for chips. Seems...tricky to me. What with the beans being round-ish and all. But hey. Texans have skillz.)

So try it my lovelies and taste the joy.


4 cups cooked black eyed peas
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
2 sweet chile peppers, sliced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 cup flat leaf parsley
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 ounce speck (smoked prosciutto), torn

Toss the beans with the oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Toss in peppers, onions, parsley and celery. Let rest until ready to serve.

Just before serving, in a dry skillet, saute the speck until crispy. Garnish beans with speck and serve.

Serves six to eight

In this recipe, all of the ingredients either came from the Hollywood Farmers Market or my own garden.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

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2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com/This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of my copyright. And generally cheesing me off.

Speck is leg of pork which has been cured in salt and spices. It rests for several weeks before being cold-smoked slowley at 20°C or lower. The speck is then allowed to mature for about five months.

We served a version of this at our August Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club. If you are in LA, I hope you will join us for the next one!

I heart Tiffany.

The suburban New York store where Tom Carvel launched his Carvel's ice cream empire is set to close after more than 70 years. Tom Carvel's ice cream truck got a flat tire on Hartsdale's Central Avenue in 1934. He was forced to pull over and did such brisk business that two years later, he opened an ice cream stand on the spot, about 25 miles north of Manhattan. - AP

Labels: Gluten Free, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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While reading the book The United States of Arugula (Lovely book, but my, what a cheese-ball title) by David Kamp, a brief passage stuck with me enough so that I am about to look it up and share with you. Yes, my dears...for you.

Ah. Here it is.

I am copying from page 154 of the soft-cover edition, where Mr. Kamp is speaking about the ever-so (devilishly) outspoken Jeremiah Tower (who I just can't help but adore.) and his tenure at the acclaimed (and indisputably influential) Berkeley, California restaurant, Chez Panisse, in the early 1970’s. The italics are Mr. Kamps.

What was most extraordinary about their partnership, Bishop says, is that Tower wrote out these elaborate, themed menus, a different one for each night of the week, and sent them off to Goines to be rendered in calligraphy, printed up, and posted for public viewing a few days before they’d be served…without ever having cooked any of the dishes described.

*Gasp!*

The scandal!

Oh. Wait. Really?

Who doesn’t do that?

I certainly do. Every darned time. Conceptualize first. Cook later. It seems only natural. Is that not natural?

And if not, I guess I am just doing things the JT way, because I never have a recipe first. Or, mostly never.

I just think of best and most intriguing ingredients, string their names together into a pretty title and start cooking. Seems like the right way to go.

Makes cooking that much more of an adventure I say. And lends itself more to my very own artistic expression...

This tartlette, for instance, was conceived as such:





Right there you have whole recipe so far as I can tell. Hardly needs much explanation. I would argue that anyone with a basic knowledge of cooking could take that title, and the ingredients and pretty much come up with a sensational recipe. Perhaps it would be a free-form tart. Or maybe the tart would rest on a bed of the greens. Maybe the pickled onions would appear minced up in the dressing. The possibilities are endless and endlessly delightful. It's what I love about cooking. The interpretivnessocity of it all.

But not everyone has a basic knowledge of cooking now do they. And some people just happen to like a good old fashioned recipe. Nothing wrong there! So for them (and you!) I present my interpretation (read: recipe) of that string of pretty words. Its a good launching point and hopefully one that will inspire.

The Rocket and Torpedoes business is just me thinking I'm a cut above sassy, when it really just means arugula (called Rocket in the UK) and Torpedo onions, which are elongated red onions. You can use whatever you have on hand. I also incorporated Indonesian Long Pepper which was grated on a microplane. Chic and warm, it’s a nice variation from regular black pepper. All together this makes for a sensational starter or light luncheon.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

Your favorite whole-wheat tart dough recipe – enough for two large tarts
12 large tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
½ cup pickled torpedo/red onions
Parmesan cheese
2 cups arugula (Rocket) greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 scant teaspoon lemon juice
6 each, organic Indonesian long pepper, grated as needed
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
Pepper as needed

For individual tarts you will need six individual removable bottom fluted tart pans. Otherwise, just make one large tart.

Core your tomatoes and slice lengthwise. Coat the skin lightly with olive oil and season with salt. Place cut side down on a sheet pan and roast at 500F until the skin blisters – about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Make your crust and blind bake. When slightly browned, remove from the oven and immediately grate some Parmesan cheese into each shell. Let cool then top with tomatoes.

For your vinaigrette. Whisk together the mustard, long pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Toss the greens with a scant amount of the dressing.

Top each tartlette with the greens, some of the pickled onion and another light grating of Parmesan and long pepper.

Serves six



© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com/

Coffee is one of the world's most chemically treated food commodities. DDT, malathion, BHT, and petroleum-based chemical fertilizers are commonly used in it's production. - Los Angeles Magazine

Japanese Black Trifele are ttractive tomatoes that are the shape and size of a Bartlett pear with a beautiful purplish-brick color; the fruit are perfect and smooth with no cracks. The flavor is absolutely sublime, having all the richness of fine chocolate. -Baker Creek Seeds

Labels: Luncheon, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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Now lookie here my little geese. My darling ganders. My sweet peaches.

What with that arbitrary holiday known as Labor Day (which I am all for, being a Union lovin’ gal and a bit of a socialist at heart and whatall) having come and gone you may be thinking “Alas! Summer is over! Whoa is me!”

But lament not!

According to the sun and the moon and the celestial path of this good earth I can assure you summer (in these here parts) is not at all over. (Unless you are the school attending type I suspect) And the bounty continues and the delicacies abound and let’s face it…there is much to revel in still.

You can still feel the sweet kiss of the sun and bite in to the heavenly fruits of the day. The moment has not passed.

(And to think. You accuse me of being hyperbolic. Haven’t we talked about this? I am! I am!)

As a darned fine example of the sustainable pleasures on which we feast, I offer you this. This dreamy delight. This earthy rendition of fantastic. This which will make your eyes smile and your mouth sing. Yes indeedy my angels my loves, this is that good. This is that simple. This is that close to summertime perfection.

This recipe, which was taught to me (though altered slightly) by the amazing, the incredible, the utterly foxy, Meg, of Large Marge Sustainable Catering, is what I am talkin' about. (And I hope if you have any catering needs you will give her sweet self a jingle and tell her I send my love.)

And as a fabulous bonus in my particular case, the ingredients seen here are all from my garden (yes, even the avocado). Which makes my heart beat that much louder and my desire for you to try it that much stronger. Home grown happiness.

Now please do try this and taste the joy.

4 ears of sweet corn
1 large avocado, diced
1/2 cup small, whole, purple (opal) basil leaves
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

Cut the kernels from the corn. Toss (oh so gently) with the rest of the ingredients. Season. Taste. Re-season as needed. Serve as soon as possible.

Serves four.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com

This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of my copyright. And generally cheesing me off.

In LA? Come take a cooking class at LA Food Works!

More than 50 million students eat lunch in school cafeterias daily. With the dawn of the new school year, districts across the country are signing on to the burgeoning "farm-to-school" movement. As a result, a number of school districts have cut back on fruits and vegetables purchased from large distributors in favor of working individually with local farmers. While that can be more expensive and may involve more work, food directors say it pays dividends in fresher, better-tasting produce that more kids eat. Signing up more kids for school lunches can help the bottom line, since schools receive a per-student subsidy from the Agriculture Department's National School Lunch Program. At the same time, schools are bolstering regional agricultural economies. - WSJ

Dark opal basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil), developed by the University of Connecticut and John Scarchuk in the 1950s. With deep purple, sometimes mottled leaves, it is grown as much for its decorative appeal as for its culinary value. Dark opal basil is a past winner of the All-American Selection award. - Wikipedia

Labels: Gluten Free, Raw, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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On one flawless Southern California morning, I dolled up and walked my self over to photographers heaven, Samy’s Camera.

Armed with the make and model of the camera I had meticulously researched scrawled on a slip of notebook paper, I was finally ready to commit.

Arriving on the 4th floor, my info was conveyed to the adorable sales clerk. The camera was procured. Price was confirmed and a credit card about to change hands.

It all seemed so easy. (Sigh)

But then, alas, a few questions were posed. A revelation was made. (That I take pictures of food.) A different camera was offered up. (Waterproof! Smaller! Not available in fashion-colors!) The transaction completed and I traipsed off with what turns out to be the most annoyingly lame and un-useable camera known to human kind.

Seriously kids, do you see those pictures? That is a sampling of a month’s worth of trying every silly setting on the thing. Here there and everywhere the camera has come out and failed me spectacularly.

Dishes have not been recorded, moments not captured, and sadness has settled in my heart due to a stringent no-return/no-exchange policy (and a vague hope it was just really me and not the camera.)

But then I realized something…a little something. I can still share recipes without photographic evidence and you will still love me.

Well, I hope so anyway!

So while I do my darndest to figure out this shamefully overpriced digital contraption, I shall leave you with a recipe for Greek salad.

And I leave the imagery of this perfect summer salad to you.

1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced
½ teaspoon salt
A few grinds of black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
2 English cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, thick slices
6 large tomatoes, each tomato cored and cut into wedges
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh parsley leaves
20 large kalamata olives, each olive pitted and quartered lengthwise
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped

Whisk together the first seven ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the sliced red onion and cucumber and toss; let stand 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and parsley to bowl with onions and cucumbers and toss to coat.

Divide lettuce on wide, shallow serving bowl or platter; top with vegetables, sprinkle olives and feta over salad. Serve immediately.

Makes enough for six to eight people.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.

Are you coming to the Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club dinner?

More than 90 % of American wine production occurs on the West Coast. A large part of carbon-dioxide emissions associated with wine comes from simply trucking it from the vineyard to tables on the East Coast. A wine bottle holds 750 ml and generates about 5.2 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions when it travels from a vineyard in California to a store in New York. A 3-liter box generates about half the emissions per 750 ml. Switching to wine in a box for the 97 % of wines that are made to be consumed within a year would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about two million tons, the equivalent of retiring 400,000 cars. - NY Times

Labels: Gluten Free, Raw, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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The Ombudsman is not just a mediating master...he is a regular Svengali when it comes to food (and pretty much everything now that I think of it). Just one off hand suggestion and next thing you know, I am growing corn. Because home grown corn is so fab. Or so we hear. (Report on that next week.)

One side-ways glance at a taco truck and everyone in the group is lining up with cash in hand. A whim involving Santa Rosa plums, a jar of pickled herring and a surf board and next thing you know…trip to Mexico. (There is a food correlation there. It’s just hard to extract.)

I tell you the boy is like an air borne pathogen. In a friendly way. (Is there such a thing? Maybe he is more like perfume? No. That’s too girly. I’ll stick with pathogen.)

He is forever getting people to try running a marathon (really) or eat at random Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall mini-mall lunch spots. Sampling fare such as this.

Then, of course, you/one/I become addicted to it/that/whatever-it-was he has introduced in to your life and you/one/I become that much more worldly and happy for it. And you/one/I start to wish I were better at navigating since I could never find that spot again without a chauffer.

So I am forced to make my own version at home and that is just fine by me.

And for you my peaches (and Santa Rosa plums) I share this version of the classic dish that is the best side-salad you can imagine.

Try it and taste the joy.

2 firm, green mangoes
2 vine-ripe tomatoes
1 cup blanched green beans, sliced on the bias
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 red Thai bird chile, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 kaffir lime leaf, minced very fine
Fish sauce, to taste (optional)
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup Asian basil (Thai Holy, Opal or Siam Queen)

(My ingredients were all local and organic. Even the mango. A good way to go, ya? But if that's not feasible where you are, try it anyway. It's a tasty dish)


Peel the mangoes with a vegetable peeler. Grate or julienne the mango and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, chile, lime juice, brown sugar, vinegar, kaffir and fish sauce.

Taste and adjust as needed. It should be a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.

Toss the dressing with the mango. Set aside.

Slice the tomatoes into long strips, removing the seeds. Add to the mango along with the green beans. Let rest for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, add fresh herbs.


Serves four.


© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.

Bennigan’s, an Irish-themed bar and grill with about 200 sites across the country, filed for bankruptcy, a move that will put hundreds of employees out of work and leave many landlords with empty retail space during a painful time in the real estate market. Sister brand, Steak & Ale, will also close. - NY TIMES

If fresh kaffir lime leaves are not available, use the tender new leaves of lime, lemon or grapefruit.

Are you coming to the next Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club dinner? If you are in LA, I hope you will!

Labels: Gluten Free, Raw, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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As a friend to us all The Hostess will have you know that she is not a fan of cucumbers appearing in her green salad.

She is - in fact - against it.

Straight up cucumber salad is fine she says.

But should those tiny gourds come mixed in with her leafy greens? Not at all fine by her.

Some sort of child hood trauma I suspect (and I suspect as much because I believe she said as much...only I forgot the details). But any which way, it deserves to be noted when a menu is being crafted upon which she will dine.

Let's face facts. We all have some sort of thing in our worlds too. That sort of thing that isn't really a big deal, but simply creates a little border in our dining experiences. (As a side note, she also has a serious aversion to/obsession with, that seminal 70's band Cheap Trick, but she won't tell me why. And since she told me she reads this site...well...perhaps she will share in the comments section? Yes? Let's hope!)

When challenged with making a side dish for a picnic luncheon starring her and The Ombudsman (We can't leave him out now can we!) my initial plan was, I admit, a lovely Greek salad with diced cucumbers. (!) But in an effort to be half the hostess she is (and the bar is quite high), that was off the menu. Thinking fast, I made this version of potato salad instead.

(I know. I should have written all of this about the cucumber salad, but that's already been posted!)

And my dears, it was just great.

Happy summer times indeed.

Now try this my peaches and taste the joy.

1 pound assorted creamer potatoes, halved
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, same
3 cloves garlic, rough chop
1 red onion, large dice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 stalks celery, small dice
For the dressing
4 tablepsoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup minced dill
2 T. minced chives
1 teaspoon lavender blossoms, crumbled


Preheat your oven to 425F.

Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water until just slightly undercooked.

Drain and toss with the bell pepper, garlic, red onion and olive oil. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast until golden brown.

Whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Taste and adjust as needed.

When the potatoes are done, toss with the dressing. Let cool slightly and serve.


© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

______________________________________

© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Casting announcement for A&E’s new show “Rocco to the Rescue!”

If you are planning a big announcement, have a ‘hero’ you wish to thank or are celebrating a major life event, (and more things along those lines) Chef Rocco DiSpirito will teach you what to cook, where to find the ingredients and how to prepare the ideal meal for your extra special occasion. All in your home.

A&E is looking for people in and around Los Angeles who need Rocco DiSpirito’s help. To apply, email CookWithRocco@gmail.com with your name, age, phone number, a recent photo and the reason you need to cook with Rocco. Or call: 818-752-5559.

Cucumbers are about 95% water.

Labels: Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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All this glorious early summer sunshine is going to my head.

I tell you it's just peachy keen!

Trouble is, it has me forgetting lots of stuff too.

Like, to post recipes.

Whoopsee!

My shoulders are tanned, the garden is growing and my days are full with good friends and whimsical cocktails. This is just the richest, most soul satisfying business.

And now, for you, my glamorous readers, I am reprinting (with not so many words changed) a recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Why?

Because kids, this little bit of knowledge is just far beyond a recipe, it strikes me as prose.

Seriously!

Read this recipe. Then, if you have a - oh, I don't know - Gordon Ramsay or some other hyper-masculine chef's cookbook at home, compare them.

It's easy to see.

This is so obviously written by a real woman. A woman with a gentle appreciation of her craft and a respect for her product. (Reminds me a lot of the beautiful writing by one of one of my favorite bloggers - Lucy at Nourish Me) It is a simple recipe with elegantly beautiful results.

Such a lovely thing to find in a world full of kitchen-intensity. I had to share.

It has such a wonderful layering of flavors and unexpected delights.

So try it my dears, and please do taste the joy.

1/2 cup pistachios
1 small garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil
Zest of a tangerine or mandarin
Brandy or grappa (I actually used cognac)
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
salt

Turn the oven to 350F.

Go through the pistachios and discard any that are shrunken or brown.

Spread on a baking sheet and heat the pistachios until warm to the touch, about 3 minutes, long enough to heighten their flavor without burning their fragile oil. Coarsely chop.

Coarsely chop the garlic then pound in a mortar (or pulse in a food processor), scoop out and set aside.

Transfer the pistachios to the mortar (or, again, food processor) and pound to a dry paste. Blend in the pounded garlic to taste. Pound or grind in about half the oil to bind with the nuts, then stir in the remainder.

With a few strokes of a zester, carve a teaspoon of fragrant orange filaments. Chop, then stir them into the paste. Add the brandy or grappa and salt to taste.

The finished aillade will be a dense, heavy paste. Set aside to mellow. As it sits the crushed nuts will settle out of the oil, but a few stirs will reamalgamate the paste.

Prepare your grill.

For the asparagus break off the woody ends, then peel away the toughest skin. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and salt lightly. Blanch the asparagus for about one minute. Drain. Cool in lightly salted ice water, drain and pat dry. (Skip the blanching if your asparagus is pencil thin). Oil and arrange in a single layer on the grill.

Grill until hot through and emblazoned with pretty char marks, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Serve with the aillade.


© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

MIAMI (AP) -- South Florida schools are having to back away from goals to offer more nutritious meals because of rising food costs. Switching from fresh fruit to canned saves money and maintains the same level of nutrition. Schools have also cut some whole grain breads, replacing it with white bread. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach schools are all looking to increase the price of their school lunches. Besides food costs going up, another problem is that the money school districts get from the federal government for each meal has not changed since last year.

Aillade is the name used in southern France for two different garlic-based condiments. In Provence, it is a garlic-flavored vinaigrette, while in some other areas, it is a form of garlic-flavored mayonnaise. In the latter meaning, it is a synonym for aioli. - Wikipedia

Labels: Condiment, Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Omnivore
Herbivore
Carnivore
Pescatarian
Lacto-Ovo Pescatarian
Vegetarian
Vegan
Kosher
Macrobiotic
Halal
Gluten Free
Lactose Intolerant
Low Carb
Low Fat
Low Sodium
Fruitairan
Raw
Sugar Free
Allergic
All-Natural
Locavore
Picky

I wonder which combo would be the hardest to cook for.

My bet is on low-fat, Halal follower with a nut and soy allergy.

Nah, they eat lots.

What about a carnivorous locavore on a sugar and salt free diet. Tricky, but do-able.

Perhaps kosher, low salt, low sodium.

Pfft.

Nursing homes around to world contend with that daily.

I've got it. Low-carb, low-fat, low-sodium, nut-allergic, picky eating fruitarian.

Oh wait, fruitarians are super easy to (not) cook for! Just give um fruit!

My point here kiddies, is that no one diet is really SO out there that you can't find a way to accommodate. Just use your noodle! (Unless they are low-carb...) And make it look pretty. The person you are cooking (or, not cooking) for deserves that.

Now try this my peaches, and taste the (warm, smooth, heady) joy.

1/4 cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salt
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 pound rutabaga (aka Swede)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (yup!)
2 (more) teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, and seeds scraped out
Salt

Preheat your oven to 275F.

Toss the hazelnuts with the oil, extract and some salt. Roast for 5 -8 minutes or until just fragrant. Rough chop and set aside.

Peel and chop the potatoes and the rutabaga. Boil in salted water until soft (the rutabaga takes longer...so either chop it smaller than the potato or boil them separately.)

Drain and mash with the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning to preference.

Serve garnished with chopped nuts.

(I served it with herb crusted lamb chops. Mmmm.)

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringment.

Yukon Gold potatoes are slightly flat and oval in shape with light gold, thin skin and light yellow flesh. They can be identified by the rosy pink coloration of the shallow eyes. Anthoxanthins are the compound which gives the potato its yellow color. - About.com


Manhattan seafood restaurant Le Bernardin raised prices three times last year due to rising food costs.

Vodka remains the spirit of choice among many Americans. In 2007, it captured 24% of the $18.2 billion distilled-spirits market, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Labels: Gluten Free, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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Inspiration! Isn't it just key? Key!

My fully-fantastic friend The Hostess, who is just the peachy keenest, is forever inspiring me to reach for the stars when it comes to my cooking. She is such a natural talent I just can't help but be in awe.

Seriously, every idea she has just sounds so yumlicious, it makes it hard to resist heading right to the market whenever we finish chatting.

This, for example, was her idea. We were talking cheese plates (you do that all the time with your girlfriends too, don't you?) and somehow ended up rhapsodizing about fennel and pickles and well, the rest is pretty obvious...

Pickled fennel. Tart, tangy and salty with a hint of sweetness and a whisper of something divine. It is just too, too perfect with an assortment of cheeses and a well balanced gin and tonic. (Or, um, you could pair it with something non-alcoholic if that is your thing) Crisp, simple and sassy.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

1 large bulb fennel, sliced into large matchsticks
1 cup water
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon white pepper corns
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced onion

Have your chopped fennel in a glass bowl or jar.

In a medium sized sauce pot, simmer all of the ingredients except the fennel. Let simmer for 3 minutes to meld.

Pour the pickling solution you have just made over the fennel. Let rest 3 hours and up to 1 week.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

I am growing fennel in my garden this summer, I got the seeds from Seeds from Italy.

Burpee's best-selling new vegetable last year was Golden Mama, a yellow-fleshed, egg-shaped tomato designed to make paste. It cooks down to a golden-yellow sauce instead of the unattractive grayish-brown that other yellow tomatoes typically produce.- WSJ.com

Are fennel and anise the same thing? No. Fennel is truly a vegetable and should not be confused with the herb, sweet anise. Even though they share a similar mild sweet licorice flavor, fennel comes from an entirely different plant. - Tony Tantillo.com

Labels: Condiment, Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Oh hai! I'm Rachael. I write this blog that I call Fresh Approach (because I'm fresh n' cheeky of course!) and I have been at it for four years.

The Ombudsman (who wants me to call him Sparkplug from now on. I mean, really. Sparkplug? Ha ha ha. Not gonna happen.) is my good friend. (The kind who takes me to the Dodger game even though it is the hottest day of the year, or the kind who helps me dig in the garden even though I am so obsessed with getting the soil perfect that I actually may never plant anything.) He is that for lots n' lots of reasons, but that he is endlessly tolerant of my antics and indulgent of my whims makes him one of my all time favorite people. (Tied with my mother who is the true saint in that category.)

Do you ever test your friends tolerance? Like say, when you wake up super-duper early and you are in a kinda sorta bouncy mood (is that just me?). So you put on your pink hat, fill up your pink water bottle, slip in to your pink clogs and hop on your fantastical pink beach cruiser. Then, you show up on your friends doorstep. And despite the fact it is 7 am on a Saturday, he opens the (three locks, security gate and) door with a smile.

That my readers, is a friend.

But I didn't show up empty handed! No, no, I did not. I showed up with this fantasmagorical calorie laden delight. It is rich and nutty and kind of tangy (the artichokes do that), it is dense and cheesy (but not too cheesy). It had just been so good the night before (with pecan crusted fish and garlic-green beans. So awesome.) I had to share (and be earth friendly by riding my bike too.) asap. So, I showed up at first light to share. Because I am a sharing, caring kind of girl.

And in that spirit, I am here to share with you too. Because really my darlings, is that not the point of this site? It's not to ramble on in pithy couplets about my life, or promote anything...it's simply my way of sharing the tasty treats.

So try this my peaches, (with the best ingredients you can get your hands on) and taste the joy.


1 cup marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained
1 cup cooked brown rice, chilled
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper


Preheat your oven to 350F.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and mustard. Add salt stir again. Stir in the artichoke hearts, rice and cheeses.

Pour into a well-buttered eight-inch square baking dish.

Sprinkle the top with paprika, and additional salt and pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. When done, cut in to squares.

Serves nine, hot, warm or cold.


© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Please help support disaster relief in Myanmar (Burma)

California's wild rice industry began in 1972 when white rice farmer Vince Vanderford decided to plant Minnesota wild rice seeds at his Yuba City farm in Northern California. Commercial production of California wild rice began around 1977.

The amount of food Britons throw away unnecessarily is at record levels, costing the economy 10 billion pounds a year. More than half of the 6.7 million tons of food that households throw away annually is still edible, the study from the Waste and Resources Action Programme revealed. About one billion pounds worth of wasted food is still "in date", the report concluded, while about 6 billion pounds of food was bought but left untouched. An average household discards about 420 pounds worth of unused food a year, the study said, while for families with more children that rises to over 600 pounds. - Reuters

Labels: Gluten Free, Luncheon, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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Ooh, ooh. It's leap day! Also known as Sadie Hawkins Day. Or, apparently the day ladies are given social permission to ask men to marry them.

What sassy good fun. Hippity-hop.

Me, I'm avoiding (The Ombudsman) any such entanglements, just in case things get weird, and focusing on the important things.

With the blissful weather (Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus! The Groundhog was wrong! Spring has sprung! Whoopeeee!) I have a whole new zest for life (which was tricky, since I was a pretty zesty girl to start with) and renewed zeal for all things food.

The markets round the hood are a bounty of early strawberries, lithesome asparagus and the last of the sparkling citrus. Peppers are just coming to an end and me, I'm all aflutter (A flutter? Fluttery? Flibberty! I digress...Happy Leap Day!) over what's in store, in this cusp of the seasons.

It's as if we have it all right now. Winter, spring, summer and fall.

So what do I do with this co-mingling of delights? Why this salad of course. A salad without greens. Because darlings, not all salads are leafy.

It is a nice little way to combine the best of late winter/early spring produce in a summery-weather way. Ties is all up quite nicely, don't you think?

Try this my peaches, and taste the joy.


6 large red bell peppers
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and minced
4 cloves of garlic
4 teaspoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Roast your peppers over an open flame, or under the broiler until charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover the bowl to allow the peppers to steam a few minutes.

Meanwhile, mince the garlic and saute briefly in the olive oil. Add the capers just at the last moment then remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool.

Remove the peppers from the bowl, rinse off the charred skin, and remove the seeds. Slice into strips.

Layer on a platter, drizzle with olive oil, garlic and capers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves six

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The edible ice cream cone made its American debut at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis and now, the ice cream cone has won Senate approval to become Missouri's official dessert.

Pork producer Smithfield Foods said Thursday that third-quarter profits fell about 10 percent on lower live hog prices and higher raising costs, but the results beat expectations handily. The nation's largest hog producer and pork processor also forecast a difficult fourth quarter. - AP

Labels: Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Oh peaches, my heart broke into a zillion itsy bitsy bits of bits of shards of bits yesterday, as my darling camera took it's swan song picture, whimpered, whirled and - alas - ceased to work.

It's death, well, it was a truly sad moment. Let's all take a micro-second of head-bowing silence in its memory, shall we? Just a micro-second though. The true trials of the world deserve our real head bowing.

Much like my fancy-pants cell phone that was unceremoniously murdered last week by a fast approaching hardwood floor - the cameras passing was a bit of a bother. And just like in the instance of the phone, I learned that in this disposable age, digital camera repair doesn’t actually exist. Can you believe? And to add insult to injury, the darned thing is barely recyclable. Oy. (And for my readers who speak the Queen's English, that isn't a salutatory "oy," that's a lamenting "oy.")

But enough of my whinging (and for my Non-British readers, that’s a synonym for whining – I’m just here to help.) on with the show…which may be on temporary halt until I figure out this situation, do some research and figure out the best route to take. Wish me luck.

This concoction was thrown together last week, in an effort to cast a bit of summery fun into the rain-soaked Los Angeles I inhabit of late. And it’s mission was indeed accomplished.

Try it my peaches, and taste the joy.

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup blueberry or raspberry vinegar
2 T. port wine jelly (omit if you don’t have)
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 cup cooked wild rice
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons flax seed
¼ cup green onion
¼ cup dried blueberries and/or cranberries
1 cup pecan halves as garnish

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, jelly, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Toss ¾ of the dressing with the wild rice, brown rice, onion and dried berries. Let the dressing absorb for 15 minutes or until ready to serve. When ready to serve, re-toss with the remaining dressing, garnish with pecans and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.


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The good folks at Lipton Tea want you to get outdoors~

North American Blueberry growers ship more than 100 metric tons of fresh blueberries each year to Iceland, and more than 500 metric tons to Japan. - Foodreference.com

People who eat two or more servings of red meat a day are much more likely to develop conditions leading to heart disease and diabetes, University of Minnesota researchers have found. The study in a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also found that diet soda consumption was linked to these elevated risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, echoing the findings of a study published in July. - Daily Mail.Co.UK

Labels: Gluten Free, Side-Dish, Vegan

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Here in Los Angeles, we are experiencing the "dead of winter."

Ironically, that translates to picture perfect weather all around.

Which is why, the Ombudsman and I went over to the beach yesterday for Bloody Mary's and a bit of splashing around.

There wasn't a tourist for miles...the air was clean (as clean as it can be I suspect), and the gulls are out of town. The waves were big and the light was bright. It was just wonderful. Just, wonderful.

Ah, LA, how I love you so.

Winter at its finest.

And now for a recipe. A slight variation on my previously posted, Moroccan Carrot Salad, this may look similar and has a bit of spice too, but it's an all-together different experience.

Bright and sunshiny, crunchy and divine.

Try it my peaches, and taste the joy.

6 carrots, peeled
1 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated - use a Microplane for this!
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sesame seeds and more parsley for garnish

Using the large holes on your box grater (or the shredder disc on a food processor), shred the peeled carrots.

Toss that with the parsley.

In another bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, Szechuan pepper, ginger (and the juice!), mayo and sesame oil. Taste and adjust to your taste. (And add salt.)

Stir that into the carrots, let rest for a few moments, garnish then enjoy!

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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has developed a coding system that explains where a meal was caught. That code often appears on fresh and frozen fish sold in the United States and Europe, but deciphering it requires specialized knowledge (FAO Zone 34 is Ghana, for example). - NY Times

Looking for flavored salts created in Los Angeles? Salt + Artistry = Saltistry

Baby carrots are full-grown carrots cut into 2-inch sections, pumped through water-filled pipes into whirling cement-mixer-size peelers and whittled down. Miniature carrots are the brainchild of Mike Yurosek of Newhall, Calif. Baby carrots come from one place: Bakersfield, Calif. The state produces almost three-quarters of U.S. carrots. - USA Today

Labels: Gluten Free, Salad, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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Well my little peaches, how are you today?

All settled in to 2008?

That's good to hear, my dears!

I am geared up for all sorts of happy changes myself. And thinking positive isn't the only plate du jour. Oh, no, I've got recipes too. Scads of them. And I think I shall share them with you. Novel, I know.

So to really kick off this bright and shiny new year, I present a salad that I just cannot get enough of.

It's just fab, and a snap to get mixed on up. And after eating it for two days, I minced it up and added it to some tuna salad, to ward off palate boredom of course...mmm, mmm, mmm.

Do try it my loves, and taste the joy.

3 large red bell peppers
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, in oil
1 large ball, mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Olive oil

Over an open flame, roast the peppers until good and charred. Remove from the flame and put into a bag or a bowl with some plastic wrap over it to capture the steam. When they have steamed for awhile, carefully remove, rinse off the charred skin, and pull off the top and out the seeds.

Slice the peppers into long strips.

Rinse off the cheese, and slice the ball in half, then slice the halves into slices.

Stir everything else together, except the oil, in a container that it just fits in. Taste and add pepper and salt as needed. Now toss with a really good amount of oil. Enough so that it pools at the bottom of your container.

Let marinate 1 day. Then serve.

Serves four.

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Are you reading celebrity gossip blog Breakfast at Tiffany's?

McDonald’s is selling more burgers than at any time since it arrived in Britain 34 years ago. Despite concerns about obesity, there were more than 88 million visits to the “Golden Arches” around the UK last month alone. The figure is up nearly 10 million on the previous year, or roughly 320,000 more each day — equivalent to the population of Cardiff. Sales in this financial year are growing at close to the fastest rate since the late 1980s. - TimesOnline.co.uk

Most buffalo mozzarella available in the United States is made from a combination of water buffalo milk and cow's milk. - VirtualItalia.com

Labels: Gluten Free, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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In life, there are some people you wouldn't mind being stuck in an elevator with.

And as with life, there are some people that you fear being stuck in an elevator with.

I have found myself "stuck in the elevator" over the years, with a profound range of people.

But in a wonderful, kismet-kinda moment, I was recently cloistered up with someone who, in a few small moments, changed my life, changed my perspective and offered me the opportunity to take hold of my dreams. A pretty lucky thing, indeed. All that, and she inspired this recipe.

And that, darlings, is how my 2007 ended. I hope yours was as good.

Viva 2008.

Now try this wintery delight my peaches, and rejoice in the prospects of your new year.

1 large celery root
3 teaspoons real mayonnaise
3 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup capers
Salt and pepper to taste

Carefully peel the celery root. Slice into thin matchsticks.

Drain and rinse the capers and rough chop.

Toss all the ingredients together, then let rest five minutes to let the flavors meld.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve at room temperature.

Makes enough for four as a side dish.

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"Depending on your gut bacteria, that doughnut might have more calories for you — possibly as much as 30 % more — than for your neighbor.” and "the liver best detoxifies booze between 5 and 6 p.m" Facts from “Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream,” by Jennifer Ackerman

Invented in St. Joseph, Missouri and introduced in 1889; Aunt Jemima pancake flour was the first commercially sold, ready-mix food.

The 13th annual Great Fruitcake Toss is taking place in Manitou Springs, Colorado this weekend

Labels: Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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While browsing the menu in some of your local dining establishments, you may have noticed the propensity of the proprietors to describe every last itsy bitsy thing that will be on each tantalizing platter, should you opt to order it.

So much so, that when you order the such-and-such with a dusting of blah-blah and sprinkling of whatnots, you can actually end up deflated that the whatnots appeared in such small quantities so as not to have exactly merited being mentioned...driving you to distraction, or worse, dissatisfaction.

And yet...

This excessive description behaviour continues.

Why is this do you suppose?

Me, I think it is because the person crafting your first impression of the victuals, wants you to know exactly what they are proposing you consume. They want no surprises. No one sending a piled high round of porcelain back to the kitchen untouched, based on the fact an offensive component had not been described.

And in all honesty...it makes total sense to me.

I mean, I tend to get amped imagining the Grass Fed Neiman Ranch Porter House Steak on a bed of Star Route Farms Arugula (I have no idea if the good people of Star Route really grow that, but I'm a touch lazy at this moment, and will just have to ask you to indulge me on that one. It was the first name that came to mind. I could have just as easily said Bellweather Farms, though, I think they make goat cheese...oh...nevermind) with Fennel Pollen and Maytag Blue Cheese on a Acme Sourdough Baguette Crouton with a dusting of fresh ground Malabar Black Pepper. But if after all that, a smattering of Paramount Farms Salt Roasted Pistachios make a guest appearance, well, that can throw a girl. Perhaps prompting a return.

So I say, keep up the novel writing approach. It suits me just fine.

This dish too, has all its components up front. Sweet, crunchy, boldly beautiful. It would make a menu proud.

Try it, and taste the joy.

3 large beets, roasted
1 large red onion, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 oz package Trader Joe's Dried Fuji Apples, Diced (or any dried apples, though, I gotta say, these things are beyond amazingly delicious.)
3 Teaspoons red wine vinegar
Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste


Peel and slice the beets. Toss with the onions, carrots and apples. Season with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves six as a side dish

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Figgy Pudding dates back to 17th century England. The ancestor of figgy pudding (and plum pudding) is a medieval spiced porridge known as "Frumenty". Today, the term figgy pudding is known mainly because of the popular Christmas carol; We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Sufganiot are jelly filled Israeli donuts, typically made on Hanukkah

Labels: Gluten Free, Side-Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Hello my dears!

I'm starting this post with a bit of info I am certain you don't need...but following it up at the bottom with a recipe that I am certain you do need...because the taste sensation is just too divine to pass up.

The somewhat (or, you know, entirely) irrelevant info, that I am compelled to share first, is that I have got a stupendously random song (sorry for the lame link, there doesn't seem to be a proper video) stuck in my head in my head on auto-loop.

ACK!

I have only the slightest notion how it got there, (Okay, I confess, I know perfectly well how it got there, but I cannot fathom how it became so deeply lodged) and in all honesty, it's driving me to the brink...la lalalalla la la. The brink I say!

For DAYS, (going on weeks frankly) all the blessed souls around me have been pleading (at first with their eyes, then quite vocally) that I stop tra-la-la-ing the refrain every time there is even a hint of a lull in conversation... it really is that...well, catchy actually, but ultimately, bothersome.

So tell me my sweets, is there a cure? Is there anything to be done?

Whoa is me.

And much like that song, this recipe* is driving me to distraction as well. I must have some sort of compulsive disorder.

(I am hoping just writing about it here will have the desired therapeutic affect...my sanity depends on it!)

Happily, the dish (unlike the lovely song) is easy to ingest, and that makes a happy girl indeedeeeee.

The combination of flavors and textures, the way it smells as it bubbles and sputters in the pan, it has a grip on me. I crave it.

And - bonus - it's perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish.

So my peaches, try it, and taste the joy.


2 Tablespoons butter
1 pound/4 cups French green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup filberts
Salt, pepper and lemon zest to season


In a large saute pan, melt the butter then add the beans and nuts. Let that cook until the butter is slightly browned, when that happens, remove from the pan, toss with salt, pepper and zest and serve.

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The Hazelnut Growers of Oregon accounted for 1/3 of the nation’s 27,000-ton production last year. Virtually all U.S. hazelnuts are grown in Oregon.

*The original version of this recipe was given to me by She-Who-Inspires-Me, AKA, Taji, at Simple Gourmet

Fresh beans are classified into two basic categories: edible pod beans and shell beans. Green beans, otherwise known as snap or string beans, are the most popular edible pod bean in the United States. The lima bean is the most common shell bean sold in the United States.

Jamie Oliver will be returning to The Food Network with a new show called Jamie at Home. The show will feature him preparing meals with produce from his country garden. Each episode will feature a different ingredient and show a variety of recipes that focus on that ingredient. The show premiers on Saturday, January 12, 2008

Labels: Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Side-Dish, Vegetarian