Do you have a herb garden?
The thing I like about my herb garden is that even when the cucumber plants have not begun to blossom and all those stupid squash plants are blossoming everyday, but I still only see one squash, and the carrots and beets have all been rooted out by a neighborhood cat, so that there is no hope of a harvest any time soon... my little pots of herbs are growing steadily and I can walk out to the garden and pluck a handful of parsley or a sprig of rosemary and add a wonderful freshness to all sorts of dishes.
Every year I tend to buy at least one 'different' herb, something I haven't used much in the past. This year it was lemongrass. I bought mine for $4.50 in a pint size container at the farmers market. I repotted it in a 12" pot and trimmed it back to about 5 inches tall. Since then it has sprouted another stalk (which I've read that I could remove and plant elsewhere) and both stalks just keep growing. I trim it every so often and use the green clippings to season fried rice and soup. Lemongrass has a pleasant lemony flavor without being acidic. It almost reminds me of Trix cereal. Lemongrass has a very stringy texture so it should be minced and well-cooked before serving.
Lemongrass Simple Syrup
Use to sweeten a tall glass of iced tea or make your own natural soda by mixing with club soda.
Active Prep Time: 5 minutes. Steep: 1 hour. Store in refrigerator up to one week.
About a half a cup loosely packed lemongrass
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (I use organic)
Roughly chop lemongrass and crush with a flat-bottomed metal measuring cup. Combine in small saucepan with water and sugar. Heat to dissolve sugar. Let simmer a minute or so. Turn off heat and cover. Let sit 1 hour. Strain out lemongrass pieces and store in the refrigerator.
July 29, 2010
July 28, 2010
Chiles Rellenos
One of my favorite celebrations of summer produce is a Baked Chile Relleno. I intended to share it with you last week, but as I was writing the introduction to the recipe I got distracted with the description of a chile relleno: A traditional chile relleno is a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese (or meat or beans), covered in an egg batter and deep fried. Think about for a minute. Deep fried cheese. What is not to love? How can I follow that description with something baked and full of veggies? Don't get me wrong, my Baked Chile Relleno is a versatile recipe that you don't want to miss, and I will definitely share it soon, but my mouth is watering. And just is case yours is too, let's do a traditional chile relleno first.
One might hear "deep-fried cheese" and assume that this would be a heavy, greasy dish, but there is only one ounce of cheese per pepper, and when fried at a proper temperature, the exterior is not greasy. Rather, its crisp lightness contrasts nicely with the almost fruitiness of the pepper and creamy, ooey-gooey delicous-ness of the cheese. Serve over frijoles, so that the melting cheese mingles with the cooking liquid of the beans and have plenty of warmed corn tortillas to sop up the flavors.
If you are afraid of spicy foods, the poblano might scare you. If that is the case, remove the seeds before you stuff them. Also, you can definitely use a milder pepper. Because we have various heat tolerances in our house, I prepared this dish with 4 poblanos, 2 Anaheims, and 3 pale yellow sweet Gypsy peppers. The poblanos do have quite a kick to them, but those I purchased fresh from the farmers market also had a wonderful, almost fruity nuance. When seeded and combined with all the other elements of the dish, including a couple mouthfuls of tortilla, the heat was a pleasant part of the sum.
Traditional Chiles Rellenos
Adapted from Rolly's Mexican Kitchen. If you are looking for some traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes, this is a great website.
8 poblano peppers
8 ounces Mexican melting cheese such as Oaxaca, or Cheddar or Monterey Jack, shredded or diced.
1/4 cup sour cream, optional to help hold the filling together and lend a tartness in the event that you choose a mild cheese.
1 small red onion, minced -about 1/2 cup.
3 eggs, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
about 1/2 cup to 1 cup canola oil or other frying oil, enough to fill your skillet about a 1/2 inch
Accompaniments:
frijoles (Mexican-style beans)
Mexican rice
corn or flour tortillas, warmed in a greased skillet
pico de gallo or other salsa
1. Char the peppers on a grill, over a gas burner or under a broiler, until the skin is partially blackened and blistery. Let cool and peel the skin from the peppers, being careful not to tear them. I planned ahead and grilled my peppers the night before. I put them in a plastic bag, so that the steam would collect and help the skins loosen. Then I absentmindedly put the bag in the freezer. There was no ill effect. I simply defrosted them under cold running water as I peeled them.
2. Prepare the filling: Shred or dice cheese and combine with sour cream (if using) and onion. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Gently cut a slit lengthwise in each pepper. If desired, carefully scoop out the seeds with a spoon. (I did.) Using a spoon or your fingers, gently stuff the filling into the peppers, being careful not to tear them. You don't want to overfill them. You want the seam to come together. The original recipe suggests closing the seam with toothpicks. I found that this tore the peppers, so I would advise against it.
4. Preheat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Prepare the egg batter: In a medium bowl with electric beaters, beat egg whites until fluffy and stiff. Whisk in egg yolks and season with a pinch of salt. Spread flour in a shallow bowl.
6. One at a time, dredge stuffed peppers in flour, dip in egg batter, then carefully set into hot oil. I neglected to take the oil's temperature, but a good test to see if your oil is hot enough is to put in a piece of tortilla. If the oil sizzles a little and the tortilla has browned slightly and is looking like a tortilla chip after about 20-30 seconds your oil is ready. (If the oil pops, it is too hot. The simplest way to decrease the temperature is to add more oil. If the oil does nothing, it is not hot enough. Wait a few more minutes for it to heat up. I set my peppers into the oil seam-side down so that the hot oil would seal them and it seemed to work. I did not suffer any significant loss of filling. Depending on the size of your skillet you may be able to fry 2-4 chiles at a time. As with any frying, do not overcrowd. After about 2-3 minutes, when the bottom side is golden, gently turn the peppers to fry the other side. (Poblanos tend to have three sides, while two of my sweet yellow peppers had four sides.) Some of the egg batter will inevitably fall off and that it okay. When all sides are browned to your liking, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
7. Serve over frijoles with plenty of tortillas to sop up the flavors of the cheese and beans.
One might hear "deep-fried cheese" and assume that this would be a heavy, greasy dish, but there is only one ounce of cheese per pepper, and when fried at a proper temperature, the exterior is not greasy. Rather, its crisp lightness contrasts nicely with the almost fruitiness of the pepper and creamy, ooey-gooey delicous-ness of the cheese. Serve over frijoles, so that the melting cheese mingles with the cooking liquid of the beans and have plenty of warmed corn tortillas to sop up the flavors.
If you are afraid of spicy foods, the poblano might scare you. If that is the case, remove the seeds before you stuff them. Also, you can definitely use a milder pepper. Because we have various heat tolerances in our house, I prepared this dish with 4 poblanos, 2 Anaheims, and 3 pale yellow sweet Gypsy peppers. The poblanos do have quite a kick to them, but those I purchased fresh from the farmers market also had a wonderful, almost fruity nuance. When seeded and combined with all the other elements of the dish, including a couple mouthfuls of tortilla, the heat was a pleasant part of the sum.
Traditional Chiles Rellenos
Adapted from Rolly's Mexican Kitchen. If you are looking for some traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes, this is a great website.
8 poblano peppers
8 ounces Mexican melting cheese such as Oaxaca, or Cheddar or Monterey Jack, shredded or diced.
1/4 cup sour cream, optional to help hold the filling together and lend a tartness in the event that you choose a mild cheese.
1 small red onion, minced -about 1/2 cup.
3 eggs, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
about 1/2 cup to 1 cup canola oil or other frying oil, enough to fill your skillet about a 1/2 inch
Accompaniments:
frijoles (Mexican-style beans)
Mexican rice
corn or flour tortillas, warmed in a greased skillet
pico de gallo or other salsa
1. Char the peppers on a grill, over a gas burner or under a broiler, until the skin is partially blackened and blistery. Let cool and peel the skin from the peppers, being careful not to tear them. I planned ahead and grilled my peppers the night before. I put them in a plastic bag, so that the steam would collect and help the skins loosen. Then I absentmindedly put the bag in the freezer. There was no ill effect. I simply defrosted them under cold running water as I peeled them.
2. Prepare the filling: Shred or dice cheese and combine with sour cream (if using) and onion. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Gently cut a slit lengthwise in each pepper. If desired, carefully scoop out the seeds with a spoon. (I did.) Using a spoon or your fingers, gently stuff the filling into the peppers, being careful not to tear them. You don't want to overfill them. You want the seam to come together. The original recipe suggests closing the seam with toothpicks. I found that this tore the peppers, so I would advise against it.
4. Preheat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Prepare the egg batter: In a medium bowl with electric beaters, beat egg whites until fluffy and stiff. Whisk in egg yolks and season with a pinch of salt. Spread flour in a shallow bowl.
6. One at a time, dredge stuffed peppers in flour, dip in egg batter, then carefully set into hot oil. I neglected to take the oil's temperature, but a good test to see if your oil is hot enough is to put in a piece of tortilla. If the oil sizzles a little and the tortilla has browned slightly and is looking like a tortilla chip after about 20-30 seconds your oil is ready. (If the oil pops, it is too hot. The simplest way to decrease the temperature is to add more oil. If the oil does nothing, it is not hot enough. Wait a few more minutes for it to heat up. I set my peppers into the oil seam-side down so that the hot oil would seal them and it seemed to work. I did not suffer any significant loss of filling. Depending on the size of your skillet you may be able to fry 2-4 chiles at a time. As with any frying, do not overcrowd. After about 2-3 minutes, when the bottom side is golden, gently turn the peppers to fry the other side. (Poblanos tend to have three sides, while two of my sweet yellow peppers had four sides.) Some of the egg batter will inevitably fall off and that it okay. When all sides are browned to your liking, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
7. Serve over frijoles with plenty of tortillas to sop up the flavors of the cheese and beans.
July 27, 2010
I tried to make brownies....
The only problem with making a fabulous chocolate cake, one where the lightness or creaminess of the frosting perfectly balances the richness of the cake, is that if I only get a taste--ok, if I only get a couple slices-- I want more a few days later.
And a three-layer cake is a bit too much effort if the goal is 'something sweet to snack on.' In such cases, a batch of brownies should fit the bill. Homemade brownies are only slightly more complicated than opening a box of brownie mix and adding eggs, oil and water, so if one can find a 'go-to' brownie recipe, brownies would be an accessible weeknight dessert, wouldn't they?
Any time I want to make cookies I refer to Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book
by Judy Rosenberg. She has recipes for every kind of cookie imaginable in there. I think Rosie's Oatmeal Cookies are the only oatmeal cookies worth making, chewy with butter and brown sugar. I skip the golden raisins that the recipe recommends and add walnuts, and I call these cookies a hearty snack. Katz Tongues are similar to a Pepperidge Farm Milano, but oh so much better because they are fresh and homemade. If one were make homemade ice cream, this would be a good recipe to use up leftover egg whites and a wonderful accompaniment to said ice cream. Chocolate Chip Meringues are a fun shift from an ordinary chocolate chip cookie, though she has a quite a few bang-up recipes for those as well.
And her Chocolate Souffle Brownie is decadent: a dense brownie layer topped with a mousse-y souffle layer, with so much chocolate that it has kept me a awake at night a few times. But that wasn't what I was in the mood for. I wanted a run-of-the-mill brownie that would be pleasing to my husband and kids who like something a little less rich and a little cakier. I also wanted something that I might be able to remember, as I am reluctant (read: too lazy) to open a cookbook on busy weeknights.
Now, if you're not a baker you might think memorizing a brownie recipe would be difficult or silly. Silly, it probably is. Difficult, no, not really. Once I have completed the method a few times, I can remember that: Melt chocolate and butter in double broiler. Allow to cool. In mixing bowl, pour chocolate/butter mixture over sugar. Beat to combine. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat in flour (and whole wheat flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder or salt, if applicable) on low speed. Spread batter in oil-sprayed, parchment-lined pan. Bake.... It is just the quantities of ingredients and times and temperatures that I have trouble with.
Once I have a go-to recipe, I can dress it up however I want. Maybe swirling in a mixture of peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar for a peanut butter brownie?
I tried Rosie's New Brownie, and it just didn't fit the bill. The ingredient list was simple: 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of unsalted butter, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup of all-purpose flour, if memory serves me correctly. Follow the method above, then bake in a 9" square pan at 350(?) for something like 50 minutes. I know, guessing oven temperatures has gotten me into trouble before. You'd think I'd learn my lesson and just walk over the bookshelf, but...
Well, the brownies were okay, but next time I'll try something different. They were a bit too dense for my husband and kids, and just not chocolate-y enough for me. I could have remedied that by adding a few extra ounces of chocolate, or by trying a different brand. And wouldn't they have been cakier if I would have added some cocoa powder and leavening?...
My pursuit of a go-to brownie recipe has begun.
And a three-layer cake is a bit too much effort if the goal is 'something sweet to snack on.' In such cases, a batch of brownies should fit the bill. Homemade brownies are only slightly more complicated than opening a box of brownie mix and adding eggs, oil and water, so if one can find a 'go-to' brownie recipe, brownies would be an accessible weeknight dessert, wouldn't they?
Any time I want to make cookies I refer to Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book
by Judy Rosenberg. She has recipes for every kind of cookie imaginable in there. I think Rosie's Oatmeal Cookies are the only oatmeal cookies worth making, chewy with butter and brown sugar. I skip the golden raisins that the recipe recommends and add walnuts, and I call these cookies a hearty snack. Katz Tongues are similar to a Pepperidge Farm Milano, but oh so much better because they are fresh and homemade. If one were make homemade ice cream, this would be a good recipe to use up leftover egg whites and a wonderful accompaniment to said ice cream. Chocolate Chip Meringues are a fun shift from an ordinary chocolate chip cookie, though she has a quite a few bang-up recipes for those as well.And her Chocolate Souffle Brownie is decadent: a dense brownie layer topped with a mousse-y souffle layer, with so much chocolate that it has kept me a awake at night a few times. But that wasn't what I was in the mood for. I wanted a run-of-the-mill brownie that would be pleasing to my husband and kids who like something a little less rich and a little cakier. I also wanted something that I might be able to remember, as I am reluctant (read: too lazy) to open a cookbook on busy weeknights.
Now, if you're not a baker you might think memorizing a brownie recipe would be difficult or silly. Silly, it probably is. Difficult, no, not really. Once I have completed the method a few times, I can remember that: Melt chocolate and butter in double broiler. Allow to cool. In mixing bowl, pour chocolate/butter mixture over sugar. Beat to combine. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat in flour (and whole wheat flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder or salt, if applicable) on low speed. Spread batter in oil-sprayed, parchment-lined pan. Bake.... It is just the quantities of ingredients and times and temperatures that I have trouble with.
Once I have a go-to recipe, I can dress it up however I want. Maybe swirling in a mixture of peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar for a peanut butter brownie?
I tried Rosie's New Brownie, and it just didn't fit the bill. The ingredient list was simple: 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of unsalted butter, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup of all-purpose flour, if memory serves me correctly. Follow the method above, then bake in a 9" square pan at 350(?) for something like 50 minutes. I know, guessing oven temperatures has gotten me into trouble before. You'd think I'd learn my lesson and just walk over the bookshelf, but...
Well, the brownies were okay, but next time I'll try something different. They were a bit too dense for my husband and kids, and just not chocolate-y enough for me. I could have remedied that by adding a few extra ounces of chocolate, or by trying a different brand. And wouldn't they have been cakier if I would have added some cocoa powder and leavening?...
My pursuit of a go-to brownie recipe has begun.
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