People tend to give me food. One friend always passes on his green onion tops after he uses the white parts for curry pastes. Last weekend I left a party with a jar of leftover Caesar salad dressing and a bag of extra croutons. A neighbor gave me a head of lettuce on its last legs the other day. I love these bits. They are the fodder for my cook-with-what-you-have kitchen and my deep-seeded joy in making something out of nothing.  People seem to know that I’ll both use and appreciate them, which I in turn, appreciate!

These gifts bestowed on me have me thinking both about how much many of us have and how simple it can be to eat well if you have access to the basics. There’s been a lot of writing and discussion about wasted food (or more commonly referred to as food waste though I think the semantics are important) this year. It is a huge and critical topic and I am beginning to think about how this blog and all my Cook With What You Have work, can more explicitly be a resource for decreasing waste and sharing our bounty with others.

So, whether you have an appreciative friend or neighbor or want to get more creative yourself, I am eager to talk more about how we can use all we buy to the fullest and how we can share our bounty with those in need.

Wishing you a very happy, resourceful and fulfilling holiday season!

P.S. If someone on your gift list this season likes to cook or might be looking for inspiration in the kitchen, with vegetables, or likes to cook with their family, a gift subscription to the Cook With What You Have Seasonal Recipe Collection might just be the ticket! It won’t clutter anyone’s closet and it is the gift that keeps on giving. . . in the best of ways!

Caesar Salad

Whether you use the classic Romaine or use the Escarole or any of the other hardy chicories that are this season’s salad greens here in the Pacific Northwest, this is a lovely dish to brighten up any holiday meal.

I can eat just this for dinner. It’s tangy and fresh and rich from the egg in the dressing. The little bit of anchovy rounds things out without being overpowering. Good, fresh eggs from happy chickens will make it even better.

Serves 4-6 depending on appetites and what else is being served

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons good olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5 flat anchovy filets (or more to taste)
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
Freshly grated black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
1 large head of Romaine lettuce, washed, leaves cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1 1/2 inch ribbons or Sugarloaf, Escarole or any other hearty lettuce
1 1/2 cups croutons or toast a slice or two of good crusty bread and tear it into bite-sized pieces

You can either use a food processor or a mortar and pestle. If using the latter, put the garlic, anchovy, pepper and salt in it and pound it into a smooth-ish paste. Scoop the paste out of the mortar and put it into a bowl. Then whisk in the lemon juice and egg yolk and then slowly add the oil and finally 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. If using a food processor start with the garlic, anchovy, lemon juice and salt and then add the ingredients in the same order. Stir the parmesan at the end after you’ve removed the dressing from the processor.

Toss dressing with lettuce, top with croutons and some more freshly grated Parmesan.

Pumpkin takes center stage, as does pecan typically but good old apple pie holds its own on any festive table. Mix and match whatever apples you might have on hand, toss in a pear or a quince, or stir in 1/2 cup of apricot jam and watch as people gasp and exclaim over how perfect and mysteriously fabulous your pie is! The cook-with-what-you-have philosophy lends itself beautifully to pie! I will be adding a good dollop of Italian prune compote to my sour cherry pie this week too.

PIE CLASS? I love really good pie (crust) and am contemplating teaching a pie class in the next few weeks. Let me know if you’d be interested. Fruit pies, nuts pies/tarts, custard pies. . . all with excellent crust. It would be in Portland, OR on a weeknight evening or weekend afternoon, 2+ hours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple Pie

This is a pretty classic apple pie. You don’t want to slice the apples too thinly or they’ll get mushy in the pie but too big and you’ll end up with rubbery chunks. It also depends on the kind of apple. If in doubt, slice fairly thinly. This is my all-time favorite pie dough; it’s simply butter, salt, flour and water but the technique is revolutionary. Once you do it a time or two it becomes second nature so don’t be put off by the extra step. Or use your favorite pie dough recipe.

7-ish medium-large apples (you want 7-8 cups sliced), peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup sugar or 1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 – 1/2 cup apricot or peach jam–see headnote
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
Just a little grated lemon zest (optional)
2 teaspoons lemon juice (if apples are a bit bland)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 recipe pie dough which is enough for a 1 double-crusted 9-inch pie (I use 1/3 whole wheat pastry flour and 2/3 all purpose for a more interesting texture and flavor–the technique here keeps the crust flaky and perfect even with a higher ratio of whole wheat–spelt or rye flours would be great alternatives to the whole wheat pastry)

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Put the apples in a large bowl. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using) and lemon zest and jam (if using) together in small bowl. Sprinkle it over the apples and mix well. Drizzle on lemon juice (if using).

Place one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface (right on the counter is easiest unless you have a tile counter). Lightly flour each side of the disk and a rolling pin. Roll from the center out and roll the dough until you have about a 14-inch circle. You want to make sure the dough does not stick to your work surface and slide a spatula under it to loosen up if it does and sprinkle more flour on the counter. The edges of the circle may crack a part but just pinch back together and don’t worry too much about the very edge since it’s going to get crimped anyway. Roll the circle of dough up onto the rolling pin and transfer it to your pie dish, unrolling gently. Lightly press the dough into a 9-inch pie pan and make sure the dough goes all the way out to the edges or the base of the pie pan. Roll out the second disk of dough.

Fill the pie shell with the apple mixture. Dot filling evenly with butter. Carefully lay the top crust over the apples. Trim the overhanging dough with a sharp knife all around leaving at least a 1-inch overhang. Flour your fingers and crimp the two layers of pie dough together by pushing your right pointer finger into a “v” shape created with the thumb and pointer of your left hand, holding the edges of dough. Repeat around the whole pie, re-flouring your fingers as needed. Prick the top of the pie a few times with the tines of a fork to create holes for the steam to escape.

Bake the pie at 450 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 and bake another 35-45 minutes until the apples are tender and the crust is flaky and just slightly golden. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

There are many apple confections that fall under this general title but I grew up with this particular one, a barely sweet apple tart really, and it will always have a special place in my heart and repertoire. It’s the same crust and preparation as the Zwetschgendatschi but I always make it in a half sheet pan. . . it’s wonderful for days and makes a fine breakfast, with or without whipped cream!

Feel free to halve the recipe but then you have to deal with splitting an egg–or make the full crust recipe and freeze half the crust for a future use. I have been using Lonesome Whistle Farms pastry flour in this recipe with great success and have even added some of their Red Fife bread flour for wonderful flavor and texture.

This most recent time I ran it under the broiler (for maybe 30 seconds too long, though I kind of liked the slightly burnt bites) for a little more caramelization. Watch it carefully if you do!

Apfelkuchen

Serves many

250 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks and 2 1/2 tablespoons) at room temperature
65 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
Zest of half a lemon (optional)
1 large egg
400 grams (3 cups) flour (I use half all purpose and have whole wheat pastry flour–see headnote)
1/2 teaspoon salt
6-7 lbs apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest, if using, in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and incorporate well. Add the flour and salt and carefully incorporate it. I often resort to using my hands here. The dough should come together fairly easily and be soft but not sticky.

Put the dough in the middle of a half sheet pan (13″ x 18″) or equivalent baking sheet or two. The sides of the half sheet pan are low enough that I can use my rolling pin to flatten out the dough and spread it around the pan. I use my hands to get it into the corners. This takes a little doing but you should have plenty of dough to cover it easily to a depth of about 1/4-inch.

Now make rows of apple slices, fit tightly together, until the crust is covered. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon and sugar and bake for about 40 minutes until the edges of the crust are browning, the apples are soft and browning and the sugar is caramelizing. Run under the broiler for just a minute or two if you want more color on the top–see headnote.

Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares, with just barely sweetened whipped cream.

Guten Appetit!

I’ve been testing recipes on my Seasonal Recipe Collection that do not have photos. They don’t have any, either because I wrote them long before I launched this part of the site and was not so focused on images, or in some cases because I wrote the recipe without actually making the dish. Yes, there are a few of those on the site . . . I only write and post recipes I know will stand a very good chance of working and being tasty (though people’s tastes do vary widely) even if I haven’t made the dish exactly as written.

It’s been so fun to work my way through the site as vegetables come into season and I take advantage of testing as many things as possible with, say Anaheim or poblano peppers or escarole or beets. Last week we had escarole three ways for dinner–wilted; in a barley risotto with red beans; and in a salad with toasted filberts, apples and blue cheese.

I’m often able to make three, sometimes four dishes in one afternoon and get them photographed and the recipes edited and images uploaded before I go to bed.  My point is, cooking through recipes that I wrote this time of year (in years past) does not mean lots of trips to the store. I stumbled upon shelling beans at my local market recently and remembered that I had several dishes with shellies that needed re-testing and photographing. I headed home and tested an old pasta dish (inspired by a decade-old Pastaworks newsletter) with a shelling bean, tomato, bacon and basil sauce.  The tomatoes and basil were in the garden, the bacon in the freezer and the pasta in the pantry. Yes, the original recipe called for fresh egg tagliatelle and pancetta but a box of penne pasta and a few slices of bacon from the freezer were perfect.

Make it your own–all of it! Use the herbs you like or have growing in the garden, skip the lemon and use vinegar. . . whatever it is just make something!  And if you haven’t subscribed to the Seasonal Recipe Collection you might check it out. . . it is getting deeper and more colorful everyday and should have some inspiration for everyone!

 

Green Harissa

Yields about 3/4 cup

2 large Anaheim peppers, roasted under the broiler or directly on a gas flame until blackened and blistered all around and then put in a covered dish to steam and cool
1 Jalapeno pepper, roasted under the broiler or directly on a gas flame until blackened and blistered all around and then put in a covered dish to steam and cool
1 Serrano pepper (the one I used in the photographed version happened to be red)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2-1/3 cups cilantro, chopped (including stems and roots if you have them)
2 tablespoons mint leaves
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice (just to brighten things up a bit–start with 1 teaspoon)

Toast the seeds in a small, dry skillet for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat until fragrant and a shade darker. Put the seeds in a mortar or spice grinder and grind fairly finely.

When the roasted peppers are cool enough to handle, peel and deseed them (or leave the seeds in for more spice) and roughly chop. Chop the fresh (un-roasted) Serrano as well. Put all the peppers in a food processor with the garlic, herbs, ground spices, oil and salt. Process until smooth. Taste and add lime/lemon juice to taste. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serve it with meat, fish, eggs, grains, beans or any way you would use regular harissa.

Henry ran off the path in to the woods just a few days ago and returned with an apple in his mouth. He loved fruit. He was my mother’s faithful companion for almost 15 years. Henry, whom my mother referred to as a puppy his whole life, decided it was time to call it quits yesterday. He was buried with a big, sweet Gravenstein apple.

He lived a glorious life out in the woods and loved my mother so. In his old age he’d bark incessantly if someone was talking to her and keenly felt the competition of the new grand child in the house. He stuck close to her right heal most days. Henry you will be missed!

Go eat a beautiful piece of fruit in his honor or make a peach cobbler or an apple pie!

 

It’s hot in Portland, Oregon, very hot, this week. Every summer (earlier this year than usual!) I have moments where I’d rather not be in the kitchen from 5-7 pm. Much of the year I’m happy to be but not when it’s really hot. What does this have to do with beans?

I typically put a big bowl of dry beans out to soak in the evening (I do this year-round) and then in the morning before I get breakfast and school lunch ready I drain the beans, cover with fresh water, add a few aromatics and turn them on to cook. By the time we head out the door for school the beans are done (more details below). And that means I have the base of many a meal cooked before it begins to get truly warm in my kitchen. *And no need to soak if you have another method you like. Just cook beans!

Those beans then turn into quesadillas or tacos of all kinds; salads, beans and rice (the rice often having been cooked at some earlier time to and just needing to be reheated), quick chili, soups and dips. Yes, there’s some cooking involved to make them meal worthy but it’s pretty simple and when you have home-cooked beans and their attendant flavorful broth much of the work is done. There are many more bean recipe on the Seasonal Recipe Collection!

So, the challenge is to cook a pot of beans, a new kind maybe, just for fun and tell us about in a comment here. Let’s savor the simplicity, flavor and flexibility of beans in the summer!

 

The two most important things you can do to get hooked on cooking your own dry beans are:

 

1)  Cook a lot of beans at once since they freeze so well, once cooked and covered in their cooking liquid. That way you have them on hand for quick meals when you’re short on time–just try to remember to put them out to thaw on the counter in the morning or the night before.

 

2) Let the beans cool in their cooking liquid for at least 1-2 hours. This vastly improves their flavor and texture. You do not need to refrigerate them while they’re cooling. Just leave them in the pot on the stove (with burner off) until they’re cool. Then refrigerate what you think you’ll use up in 5 days and freeze the rest. Keep as much of the cooking liquid as you can–it’s wonderful in soups, as a broth on its own, to loosen up beans when making a spread or refried beans, etc. and it also protects them in the freezer.

 

Place dry beans in a bowl covered by about 4 inches of cold water. Soak over night or 6-8 hours. Drain beans.

 

Place soaked beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by several inches. Add a couple of whole, peeled garlic cloves, a bay leaf and a chunk of peeled onion. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook covered until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally (this helps prevent some beans from softening before others.) I add salt towards the end of the cooking time and when you do add salt, be generous, as in at least 1 teaspoon sea salt for every 1 1/2 cups or so of dried beans. They will likely need more still. The time it takes for the beans to cook will vary depending on the kind/size of bean and the freshness of the dried beans. Pinto and borlotti types typically take about 30-35 minutes, smaller white and black beans as little as 20-25. Let beans cool in their liquid (see above) and then use, freeze, etc. If you’re freezing some, fill your container with the beans and then ladle in the cooking liquid until the beans are covered. Cooked beans also keep in the fridge for 5-6 days and for several months in the freezer.

Maria Speck (author of cookbooks Simply Ancient Grains and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals) is inspiring, knowledgable and endlessly creative when it comes to this vast category of flavor, texture, culture, . . . Hearing her talk about her youth in Greece and Germany and her mother’s simple, deeply flavorful, fresh food and her own many decades of cooking all over the world made my mouth water. Her philosophy echoed mine: fresh produce and simple staples, cooked at the beginning of the week, can be the foundation of many a meal. She reminded me of bulgur. I have neglected my jar of it for many months and I had a busy week so I figured I’d cook a pot of it and see how I could use it throughout the week.

Monday: Salad of roasted asparagus, mustard greens, arugula, radishes, bulgur, toasted sunflower seeds and a lemony vinaigrette (recipe below).

Tuesday: Added bulgur to chicken soup for my son’s school lunch.

Wednesday: Black beans in their broth topped with bulgur (that I had toasted in a small skillet in some olive oil which gave it an extra dimension), cilantro and harissa.

Thursday: Broccoli and bulgur patties with cilantro, eggs, a bit of sharp cheddar and more harissa (recipe on the Seasonal Recipe Collection).

Greens, Asparagus and Bulgur Salad with Lemony Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6 depending on what else is being served

3/4 cup cooked, cooled bulgur (see below)
7 or so fat spears of asparagus (I prefer the fat ones for this but any will do)
Salt
Olive Oil
3-4 radishes (optional but beautiful and delicious), washed and cut into small dice or thinly sliced
5-6 cups tender, spicy greens like mustard greens, arugula, mizuna or any chicory, washed, dried and cut into ribbons or bites-sized pieces (I used mustard greens and arugula in this version)
1/2 cup cilantro, leaves and stems, chopped
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1/3 – 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds (toss raw seeds with a little olive oil and salt and spread on sheet pan and roast for about 10 minutes at 350 until golden)

Vinaigrette
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed up a bit with the side of a chef’s knife or put through press
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or cider or red wine vinegar)
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Set your oven to broil. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Put the washed spears on a sheet pan and drizzle with just a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil, turning once, for about 10 minutes until browning and tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice into 1/2-inch slices on the bias.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or shake them up in a tightly sealed jam jar. I make this type of dressing in a jar and top if off as needed all week. You may have more dressing than you need for this salad so the jar method is a good one here.

Put all the salad ingredients in a large blow. Add about 3/4 of the dressing and toss well. Taste and adjust with salt, lemon, etc. and/or add more dressing. Serve immediately.

To cook the bulgur: Bring 1 3/4 cups water or broth (I used homemade veggie bouillon broth) and several pinches of salt (if you’re using water) to boil in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of bulgur and stir well. Simmer the bulgur, covered for 10 minutes. Turn off the burner and keep the pan covered and let the bulgur steam for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and use as needed. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.