Broccoli Spinach Soup au Pistou

This is a great lunch soup, hot or cold, that travels well in a thermos to the office or hiking trail.  Also serve it to yourself as a late afternoon pick-me-up when dinner feels a little too far off.

Low calorie versions of broccoli-cheese soup often use processed ingredients.  This version adds baby spinach to create a velvet texture and a flavorful bright green tint.  Parmesan cheese and basil stand in for the heavier cheeses and add a love hint of summer flavor.  Pistou normally includes a bit of olive oil with the cheese and basil but the soup is rich enough without it.  Pistou is like pesto but without the pine nuts.  A tablespoon of pistou, made from basil and Parmesan cheese incorporated into a bit of olive oil is used throughout the south of France to step up the flavor of soups and stews.  The combination livens up this simple broccoli and spinach soup and make it satisfying hot or chilled.

Broccoli-Spinach Soup “au Pistou”
4 servings
Ingredients
3 cups roughly chopped broccoli (including peeled stems)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2-1 cup water
3 cups loosely packed baby spinach (half of 9-oz bag)
2 T chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Method

1. In a large saucepan over high heat, bring chopped broccoli to a boil in chicken broth and water.  (Add enough water so that broccoli is covered.)  
2. Turn heat to medium, cover and cook broccoli until quite tender, about 20-25 minutes.  
3. Remove cover and add spinach.  With a large spoon, stir spinach into hot broth until it wilts. Remove soup from heat.  Add basil and cheese.  
4. Use a immersion blender to puree vegetables in broth.  There should be no lumps.  (Or allow soup to cool for half an hour and puree in a regular blender.) 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Serve hot or chilled.  You might like a shot of skim or whole milk in the soup if serving hot.  If eating cold, serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek-style plain yogurt.

Immersion blenders allow you to puree soups right in the cooking pot. 

Pasta Salad

For many of us, getting ready for beach weather means setting limits on carbs without going hungry.  The challenge for the pure-minded is that much so-called diet food uses additives for texture and flavor.  The ensuing sacrifice in flavor and health is off-putting.  Sometimes you need something really hardy between all those salads and this pasta dish makes the cut on both taste and nutrition. 

Even non-whole grain pasta enthusiasts went for this pasta salad made with rotini-shaped pasta that picks up the creamy yet low-cal sauce.  The secret is an ounce of cream cheese. And yes, you can use regular cream cheese and still get the low-cal benefits.  The high ratio of  vegetables to pasta (especially mushrooms) also lowers the calorie count while the whole grain pasta makes it deeply satisfying.

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad
Serves 4, recipe can be doubled

Ingredients
8 ounces whole grain rotini (like Barilla)
8 ounces portabello mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and chopped in 3-4 sections
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 ounce cream cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup leftover pasta water, low-fat milk or chicken broth to taste
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (other fresh herbs like tarragon, thyme or dill may be substituted)

1.  Cook pasta according instructions on package and drain well. (Reserve a small amount of pasta water to use in the sauce.)
2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute mushrooms.  Remove from pan.
3. In same skillet, add a 1/2 cup cold water, asparagus and carrots.  Boil over high heat, uncovered until water evaporates and vegetables are crisp-tender.  Cook a little longer with more water if you like your vegetables a bit more tender.  Lower heat to simmer. 
4. Return mushrooms to skillet and add warm pasta. Stir in cream cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Add pasta water, milk or broth to thin the sauce so that it coats pasta well. 
5. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve immediately or chill to use a cold pasta salad.

This transports very well to a picnic, pot luck or the office.  A serving with a few slices of cooked chicken breast or tofu make a complete lunch. 

While  meant to be a side salad served cold or room temperature, that first night it got gobbled up hot and never got a chance to chill.  The next day I added a little low-fat milk to moisten the leftovers and served it cold alongside sandwiches.

Strawberry Time

 

It’s strawberry season so why do anything to these bright red berries but enjoy?  If your backyard is yielding the naturally sweet and red through-and-through berry, then I would not do more than eat them as is.  Early season and cultivated strawberries, on the other hand, could use a little enhancement to intensify the flavor and remind us what a great strawberry really tastes like.  Simple Strawberry Compote is that enhancement.

The beauty of some store-bought strawberry varieties only goes skin deep.  The perfectly shaped, large berries with pale interiors look picture-perfect but often lack deep strawberry flavor.  Smelling even sub-par strawberries makes us yearn for shortcake or pound cake topped with berries and cream.  Especially if you bake your own dessert, you deserve better strawberries.  

Simple strawberry compote gives you juicy berries with real strawberry flavor and a little sauce to spoon over cakes, ice cream, custards and yogurt. 

Simple Strawberry Compote

Ingredients

2 pints strawberries, hulled and rinsed

juice of 1/2 fresh orange
2-3 drops vanilla extract
1/2- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey

Method

1. Slice berries about 1/4 inch thick.  Place in a microwavable bowl.  
2. Squeeze orange juice over strawberries.  Stir in vanilla and sugar.  
3. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until strawberries “wilt” and juices begin to run into bottom of bowl.  Remove and use at once or cover and cool to dip into at will.

Strawberry compote keeps, covered and refrigerated, up to 2 days.

This is also a great way to transform frozen strawberries.  Microwave them whole with the other ingredients.  Use the back of a fork to lightly crush them into bite-sized pieces. 

Wonderful stirred into cream or an ice cream custard and frozen into strawberry ice cream.  And as always, enjoy them with plain real yogurt.  We have been seduced by Seven Stars plain yogurt with cream on top of late.  It’s made at a dairy outside of Philadelphia. 

Dried Cherry-Almond Muesli

My father used to bring unusual foods back from Europe when I was a child.  Several became family favorites despite initial skepticism.  One of those was muesli.  One spring day, my father got through customs from Switzerland with several boxes of what appeared to be saw dust and crushed crackers clinging to raisins.  With enthusiasm my father served us 1/4 cup portions doused with milk.  It was a far cry from Sugar Pops and I didn’t even like them much (not being big on cereal as a child).

This was my first taste of grown up cereal and probably the closest we could come in the 1960s to organic or all natural food.  The sweetness was derived solely from the dried fruit—which turned out to be dates as well as raisins.  The sawdust and crushed crackers were in reality wheat, oat and rye grain flakes, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds and other ingredients we now recognize as “high fiber.”

Muesli is raw food’s answer to granola.  And while most Americans enjoy granola on its own, in bars or as cereal it has become almost as sweet as the aforementioned Sugar Pops.  It’s hard to find a low-calorie/low-fat granola without making your own. (More on this in future weeks).  Muesli is pure grain goodness and very low in fat. 

The thing about eating foods like muesli when you are young, even if you don’t immediately take to it, is that you have a memory of a highly satisfying, not too sweet, crunchy snack that goes well with milk.  You find yourself searching it out years later.

Happily, we no longer have to transport muesli from Switzerland in our suitcases.  There are some good makers on health food store shelves and muesli is also surprisingly simple to make from scratch.  I made a batch the other morning that I’ve enjoyed soaked in a bit of milk and/or yogurt with some fresh berries.  As promised, complex and filling enough to get through a morning thanks to all that fiber and lightly sweet from nuts and dried fruit flavors rather than sugar.

Grain flakes are the main ingredient—these look like rolled oats and come in wheat, barley, spelt, rye and oat varieties.  Pick them up in the cereal or natural food aisle at the supermarket.  They are often combined and called 5- or 8- grain cereal.  (Bob’s Red Mill makes a nice 5-grain version.) From there raid your pantry for nuts, seeds and dried fruits.  You can even add commercial stand-bys like shredded wheat cereal and grape nuts.  Here’s one recipe that will give you a sense of proportions.  This one is for cherry-almond muesli.

Dried Cherry-Almond Muesli
Makes 6 1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
2 cups mixed grain flakes
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together in a covered container. 
2. Serve in 1/4 cup portions with plain yogurt or milk, berries, and if desired, honey or maple syrup.  If you've never eaten muesli before, allow it to soak for a few minutes in the yogurt or milk before consuming.   

Other combinations: 1) raisins and peanuts, 2) dried apricots pieces and chopped hazelnuts with pepitas, 3) dates, coconut and a touch of ground ginger or 4) dried pineapple pieces and walnuts, etc.

Several years ago we stayed at a Vermont inn owned by an Austrian couple.  The breakfast buffet included one of my favorite ways to enjoy muesli.  Muesli is mixed with plain yogurt and grated apple and left overnight (covered and refrigerated).  The grains are sweetened by the grated apple and soften and plump up in the yogurt.  Serve with a drizzle of honey and garnish with some finely chopped nuts or wheat germ.   Use about 1 cup yogurt, 1/4 muesli and 1/2 a grated apple per serving.

Spanish Butterfly

When a whole bird’s backbone is removed so that it can lay flat for grilling or roasting it looks butterflied.  The term is actually spatchcocked and no amount of research provides a particularly interesting word derivation.  What is interesting is that the bird cooks faster, is easier for most to carve and makes a really pleasing presentation.

For a recent dinner we enjoyed a Spanish-influenced spatchcocked chicken.  Any of your favorite chicken seasonings are just as good and you can even place the bird on a bed of bread stuffing for a more formal dinner.  I baste the chicken halfway through with the cooking juices then make a light gravy while the bird rests.  You can also toss quartered vegetables like potatoes, onion and carrots or fennel into the pan once the juices begin to collect.

The method is easiest if you use kitchen sheers.  (A sharp boning or chefs knife will also do the job.) 

Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken
Ingredients
1 whole chicken  3-5 pounds
1/2 lemon, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper, smoked Spanish paprika

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.  While the oven preheats, prepare the chicken for roasting.  
2. Turn the bird on its breast and, working from the cavity end,  cut down each side of the back bone.  Open up the bird so that the inner breastbone is exposed.  
3. If the bird is over 4 pounds, consider removing the sternum to allow the breast to lay completely flat.  Simply cut a sliver into each side of the bone and remove it and attached cartiledge.   (A smaller, younger chicken will have a more flexible sternum and may not need removal.  This is optional even for a larger bird.)  
4. Squeeze a lemon quarter on each side of the bird followed by the olive oil.  Finally rub with the salt, pepper and paprika.  Place chicken directly on a large rimmed roasting pan.  (A flat rack is optional.)  
5. Roast chicken 15-20 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.   (A four-pound chicken can take under an hour so keep an eye on it.)  Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest 10-15 minutes before carving or cutting into parts.  During this time the temperature will increase to 170˚F and juices will be reabsorbed to provide a moist yet thoroughly cooked chicken.

Serve the Spanish chicken with a sprinkling of fresh parsley and lemon wedges to squeeze over the meat.

Tomorrow: The remains of a whole bird give you the fixings for soup.  You can even roast the backbone alongside the bird for extra deep flavor.

Bring Back the Twist

It is rare these days to order a drink with a twist of lemon or lime and get a real twist.  Usually, the drink arrives with a tiny wedge of peel, pith and juicy segment smushed to the side of the glass.  A real twist is all about the oils of the fruit’s skin and with the right tool (or even a vegetable peeler and a little technique) it is not hard to get this essence of citrus into a drink (or a food recipe). 

Watch closely for the tiny spray of lemon oil bursting from a twisted yellow peel into a very dry martini and breathe in through your nose to capture the lemony essence.  You’ll actually be able to see little pools of lemon oil on the surface of your drink.  And taste it on your lips.  That’s what a twist of lemon is meant to be. 

To easily procure a twist of lemon (or lime) use a zester.  Even if you are not a foodie who collects kitchen gadgets, this is an inexpensive tool that you will use every week, perhaps even several times a week, once you own one.  Not only will you get more bang for your lemon bucks since you will use more of the fruit, you’ll enjoy the impact of the pure citrus taste the peel brings.   For today try peeling a lemon using a vegetable peeler. Don’t dig too deep; back off when you see any of the white pith under your blade.  By the time you have cut the peel away from an entire lemon, you will be quite adept. 

Before I owned a zester, I used to finely slice the peeled peel and use it as zest in fruit salads.  A zester has two cutting surfaces and allows you to perform two useful functions: 1) pull a twist of citrus and 2) shred the peel for use in fruit salads, poultry marinades and rubs, salad dressings, baked goods and more (much like a microplaner).  Anywhere you would use a little citrus flavor is fitting for the flavorful oils that burrow in the peel.  This is pure flavor.

Always zest before cutting into the fruit.  It is easier to apply a bit of pressure on an uncut piece of citrus.  You’ll find many uses on your own.  Here are few ideas to get you started:

 
House Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Zest an entire lemon and mix with equal parts cracked black pepper. (Salt is optional.)  This is a terrific seasoning for chicken.

Lemon Vodka
Fill a pint jar or bottle with a screw top with plain vodka.  Add lemon peel (twists) and close.  Store in a cool dark spot for 3 weeks.  Enjoy lemon vodka in martinis. Bloody Marys or with tonic.

Lemon Marinated Olives
Ingredients
1 cup assorted olives- any combination, packed in brine.
Lemon peel from 1 lemon
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 spring fresh rosemary or thyme
optional: red pepper flakes)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F.  
2. Drain olives.  
3. Combine all ingredients in a foil-lined baking pan. Cover with more foil and bake 15-20 minutes.  

Olives may be eaten when cooled to room temperature or chilled for use in a few hours.  Olives keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Blackberry Maple Syrup

The pretty berry color "stains" the yogurt dolloped on buttermilk waffles.

The trees are tapped, the syrup is boiled down and a new batch of maple syrup is ready.  Maple syrup is an acquired taste, I’m told.  Raised on maple sugar candy I wouldn’t know.  It is one of life’s primal flavors for me. Just a teaspoon turns oatmeal, yogurt and well, pancakes and waffles into pure comfort food.  A few drops in the cavity of an acorn squash or in baked beans are more savory uses. (Add a little to canned baked beans with a touch of mustard to freshen up the flavor.)

For those who were not weaned on this northern nectar, the taste can be a bit strong.  This is especially true for those who’ve been served maple-flavored or some unknown-flavor pancake syrup.  We stumbled on a great way to get just a touch of maple on our waffles and lighten it up with fruit. 

In the microwave, warm up a cup of fresh blackberries with a tablespoon of maple syrup and dress your waffles with the warm fruit.  Leftover fruit can steep in a few ounces of maple syrup to yield an even more intense berry syrup in about a day.

Raspberries or strawberries are good this way too.  Blueberries get a little overwhelmed but if you love them, try these too.  You can even use frozen berries. 

Happy Spring.

Bleak Night Huevos Rancheros

When things get a bit desperate and the end of winter seems well out of sight, a flexible recipe for Huevos Rancheros makes surviving worth it.  A few beers don’t hurt either.

Huevos Rancheros are essentially nachos with an egg on top.  Within the basic layers lots of variation is possible making this one of those dishes that you can pull out of a hat.  The first time I ate this was in the Yucatan at a little restaurant inside the entrance to some Mayan ruins.  Our hotel had a nice restaurant but my friends and I learned quickly to hop the local VW bus (without a side door) to the ruins and eat desayuno with the workers.   The meal was simple and that’s been my inspiration since: eggs, cooked beans, salsa on a corn tortilla with a side of fried plaintains.  For this northern version, I substituted roasted turnip fries for plaintains.   Home fries made with white or blue potatoes are good here too.

Its all in the layers:
Base- corn tortilla (grilled pizza crust, even tortilla chips if desperate)
Beans- canned black low sodium cooked down with some oregano, cumin, salt, ground coriander
Salsa (purchased is fine but take a peak in your larder and get creative here)  chopped tomato, mild peppers, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, smoked chili, onion, tomatillos can combine in many variations in a pinch to create a tempting salsa.
Fried eggs (poached if you feel like it)
Cheese (cheddar, queso fresco)
Garnishes; extra salsa. Scallions, black olives, jalepenos (pickled roasted), sour cream, cilantro, avocado

If you’d like a more formal recipe….

Huevos Rancheros Fonda del Yucatan
Serves 2
Ingredients
4 corn tortillas
Canola or vegetable oil
1 can low-sodium black beans
2 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, cumin, chipotle chili powder
1/4 teaspoon each ground coriander and salt
1/2 cup salsa (home made or store bought)
4 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Garnishes and extras: sliced scallions, black olives, jalepenos (pickled or roasted), sour cream, cilantro, avocado

Method

1. For each serving, drizzle a little canola oil onto an oven proof dish (pie plates work well) and dip 2 corn tortillas in oil on both sides.  Place in a 400˚F oven to crisp while you prepare the remaining ingredients.  
2. Heat up a can of low-sodium black beans (no need to drain) and add cilantro, dried spices and salt.  Lower heat and continue to cook until juices are absorbed, stirring occasionally.  
3. Once beans are heated, fry eggs in a little olive oil.  Cook eggs “sunny side up” and remove from heat when whites are firm but yolks are still runny.  
4. While eggs are frying, assemble dishes.  Remove tortillas from oven and pile on beans followed by a bit of salsa then carefully transfer the eggs, one on each tortilla.  Sprinkle with cheese and return to hot oven to finish eggs and melt cheese.  
5. As soon as cheese has melted, remove pie plates from oven and transfer to warmed plates.  Place another spoonful of salsa on top of each egg and add garnishes to your liking.   

On the side—roasted turnip fries with smoked paprika (400˚F for 20 minutes).  You can dip them in ketchup but here they taste great dipped in the runny egg yolks and the sour cream.  They are nice cross between sweet potato fries and traditional fries from white potatoes and can be roasted while the tortillas crisp.

I found this fun rendition online.  Great idea to serve a crowd:
http://www.designeatplay.com/?p=482
Huevos Ranchero Pizza- very clever and communal too.

Elegant Life Leftovers: Salade Nicoise

We love leftovers around here but I notice that is not the case at every household.  I think two things make the difference.  First, I plan for leftovers and second, we have a gleeful attitude about them. 

For example one never hears the “Oh, leftovers,” drone in this house.  Leftovers to us mean really good food, already prepared, maybe served up with a new look, maybe not.  The work is done and all we need to do is reheat and enjoy (again). 

As with most slow-cooked meals, an encore of beef stew over rice instead of first-night noodles just gets better the second day.  Last night’s mac 'n cheese side dish takes center stage for a hot lunch with a little salad.  Maybe some cubed ham, roasted red peppers, extra hot sauce or chopped tomatoes make it taste a little different.  I know children don’t care if your work is done but you can overcome their comprehension problems by spending dinner prep time doing something nice with them instead.  On nights when we are serving leftovers and have little extra time, sometimes a baked dessert happens.  What kid could complain about that?

I think the real difference is that our leftovers are planned which is how they become “elegant life” leftovers rather than “what’s that growing in the back of the fridge” leftovers.   I always think of my French host mothers when I cook this way.  Everything tastes amazing and there is little waste.  From time to time I’ll share a few of our favorite planned leftovers in this blog under the banner “Elegant Life Leftovers” starting this week’s Salade Nicoise.

Last night’s baked chicken breasts with green beans and potatoes are the obvious base.  Make a few extra chicken breasts, green beans and potatoes and transform them into something new using roasted tomatoes and a bevy of pantry staples.  Roasting halved plum tomatoes concentrates their flavor and is a nice substitute until summer-ripened tomatoes are available.   I sprinkle them with Herbs de Provence, capers and a little olive oil to prep them for this salad.  Roast them with your chicken and cool them overnight with the rest of your salad leftover ingredients.

Every food writer reminds you that making a vinaigrette is easy and I submit this may be one of the big secrets to leftovers tasting fresher and better at our house. There is a customized recipe below that really suits this salad but if you must, use your favorite bottled salad dressing.  But really, think about making your own; you’ll have the extra 5 minutes.

Elegant Life Leftovers Salade Nicoise
2 breast halves serve 2 for a substantial salad or 4 as a lighter lunch salad.  Leftover tuna or salmon steak also makes a great salade nicoise. 

Ingredients
2 cooked chicken breasts halves, sliced
1 cup cooked green beans
4 cooked eastern potatoes, quartered
2 plum tomatoes- halved and roasted with Herbs de Provence*, capers, olive oil
1/2 small jar roasted red peppers, sliced
4 cups lettuce- bibb is lovely but use your favorite mix including mache, red leaf, oak, arugula, watercress
2 tablespoons black olives, drained (nicoise, kalamata or even plain canned black)
1 can/jar artichoke hearts, drained and quartered if large (marinated or unmarinated)
1 hard boiled egg, quartered
Extras: leftover roasted asparagus or zucchini, fresh dill or parsley, canned white beans, anchovies, button mushrooms, sliced radishes, etc

Method

1. On flat plates, arrange lettuce leaves to cover plate.  Make a “composed” rather than tossed salad by laying out the remaining salad elements in their own beds.  
2. Place the chicken in the center and arrange the other ingredients around the chicken.  
3. Place like colors (tomatoes, red peppers) at opposite sides of the plate and fill in with green beans, light green artichokes and green herbs then add another color: creamy potatoes and beans. Accent with dark black olives, rosy-rimmed radishes and hard boiled egg. 

*Herbs de Provence usually includes dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, margoram and even lavender.  Like most regional herb mixtures there are variations.  You can use any similar combination like thyme, oregano and rosemary or thyme, oregano, black pepper and fresh parsley.

La Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Juice of one large lemon (or 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar)
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 ounces good olive oil (extra virgin or mixed)
2 teaspoons capers, slightly crushed
salt & pepper

Method

1. Mix lemon juice and mustard together and slowly whisk in oil to form a thick emulsion.  
2. Add capers, salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

You Can't Say Prune

The winner of the fruit re-brand of the decade has to be the prune.  Now cleverly packaged in a single snack portion as a dried plum, the marketing team, like Jack Horner, can pat themselves on the back for pulling out a plum from the sales pie chart.*  I laugh but admire the effort and more, the success of turning this little stone fruit’s dried version from withered, back cabinet stalwart to the juicy darling of backpacks everywhere. 

Having gotten over our fear of dried prunes, I propose we take a second look at the jarred prune.  Drained of its syrup, its wonderful mixed in hot and cold cereals and on yogurt with some wheat germ.   However, its real calling in life is in sauces for pork, lamb and chicken.  Sauces can make a fast meal more satisfying and this low fat, high fiber sauce tastes delicious.  And if you are having company, this sauce is “restaurant level” and can be prepared in minutes while an elegant pork loin finishes roasting in the oven.

Port Wine Prune-er-Plum Sauce
Makes about a cup.
5-6 prunes in syrup, drained
3 oz beef broth
4 oz port wine
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper

1. Remove pits from prunes and dice.  
2. Combine with broth and wine in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbling.  Lower heat and cook 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened.  
3. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon (small pat) cold butter. Taste and add salt and pepper.  
4. Add a bit more sweet wine if sauce tastes too beefy.  This is a lightly sweet/savory sauce. 

Note: Red wine with a 1/2 teaspoon of honey or Madeira can be used if there is no port in the house.



Roast Pork Loin
2 pounds will serve four with a nice amount of leftovers for sandwiches or a stir fry.  Double the recipe for a 4-pound roast.
Rub:
1/4 teaspoon each: dried thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, savory, black pepper, salt. 
1/2 teaspoon each Dijon mustard and olive oil

1. Mix herbs with Dijon mustard and olive oil to form a paste.  Rub over top and sides of loin.  
2. Roast in a preheated oven at 450˚F for 10 minutes.  
3. Without opening oven door, lower temperature to  325˚F and roast 40-50 minutes until internal temp of 155˚F (150˚F if you like the meat a bit pink).  Rest 15 minutes covered before slicing. 

Serve slices of pork loin with Port Wine Prune-er-Plum Sauce.
 


*Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said 'What a good boy am I!

I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes ,Oxford University Press, 1951

Sweet Potato Black Beans and Rice

We did not grow up eating fresh sweet potatoes.  The canned variety made an annual appearance under a blanket of bronzed marshmallows at Thanksgiving and not a year went by without leaving me in culinary confusion. What was dessert doing next to my mashed potatoes and stuffing?  (We called it stuffing back then because it was stuffed in the bird.  Now we bake stuffing separately but can’t remember to call it dressing.) Yes, I know the cranberry sauce is sweet too but that is an accompaniment, not a dish of its own. 

The years passed and we all moved around a bit.  Some of my family landed in Kentucky and then North Carolina where sweet potatoes were part of the food vernacular, not reserved for November only.  So when at last fresh sweet potatoes started showing up at our northern supermarkets, we got busy baking them.  We love the small ones that we pierce with a turkey skewer and bake at 400˚F until the flesh just under the skin begins to caramelize.  Lots of black pepper and a touch of salt and butter make this our favorite pork side dish. 

I’ve been impressed by how well sweet potatoes go with all kinds of cuisines.   One of my favorites is a variation on Latin cuisine’s beans and rice.  Sweet potatoes cooked with black beans and tomatoes make a sublime combination.  One of the keys to this dish is cooking the sweet potatoes in the juice from the tomatoes.  It seems to bring up some essential flavor common to both ingredients and creates a tasty match with the beans and spices including Spanish smoked sweet paprika. This is a year-round meal because it can be made from (low-sodium) canned beans and tomatoes and fresh sweet potatoes from the pantry. 

Sweet Potato Black Beans with Rice
Yield: About 3 cups (3 main dish servings, 5-6 side servings)

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2” cubes)
1 14-oz can low-sodium tomatoes
1 14-oz can low-sodium black beans
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika (look for a variety from Spain)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Optional: hot sauce to taste
2 cups cooked brown rice


Method

1. Place diced sweet potatoes in a microwavable container with the juice from the canned tomatoes.   Microwave, covered with several small vents , for 4-5 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.  
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop tomatoes and drain beans.  Place tomatoes and beans in a saucepan and add oregano, cumin and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat then lower heat and stir to cook bean and tomato mixture down.  
3. When most of the liquid has evaporated, stir in cooked sweet potatoes and remove from heat.  Add chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds and hot sauce.  (Sweet potato mixture can be set aside at this point, covered and refrigerated for use within the next 2 days.)
4. Serve perfectly plain over cooked rice with a warm whole wheat flour tortilla or top with extra cilantro, chopped black olives, pickled jalapeños, queso fresco and sour cream.

Note: This recipe is being submitted to the North Carolina Sweet Potatoes Commission Bloggers Contest.

Noodling Around

I used to watch my (great) Aunt Emma make egg noodles.  There was a recipe but it was in her head because, ”It is too easy to write down.”

So I watched and tried to figure it out.  I was seven the first time I saw her make them.  I saw her build a mound of (unmeasured) flour on a wood cutting board and carve out a crater in the center.  I watched her break whole eggs into the crater. Number, unknown.  I think salt arrived around this time. Perhaps a little water too. Again, unmeasured.  She gathered the ingredients up in her strong and boney hands and kneaded a few times.  She rolled the noodle dough out too an impossibly thin and flexible sheet.  She used the tines of a fork to cut thin noodles.  The fork gave her an even cut. The noodles rested on a checkered dishtowel until they were dry enough to add to homemade chicken soup.  I’ve eaten many egg noodles.  Packages ones are not bad.  Yet none tasted like these, slightly uneven in length and so soft and light.  

I’ve never made noodles on my own.  I look at pasta machines and think I will get to that one day.  I look at recipes for noodles, with and without eggs, and know they are not hard to make, especially for a person who has watched my expert aunt.  Still, the quantities seem large and we are a small household so I held off.  I’m not looking for big projects these days. 

Today I found myself with two leftover egg yolks.  I’d just been reading a book of Amish recipes and the one for noodles was easily divisible for the number of egg yolks I had.  I also liked the instructions for rolling out and drying the homemade noodles without a pasta machine.  It did not look like a big deal.  And it wasn’t.

It took no time to combine the four ingredients and roll out the dough to a pretty thin sheet.  Practice will result in thinner sheets in the future.  With the recipe cut down to 1/3, I knew the rolling would be manageable and I’d have just enough noodles for a main course for two.  The sheet of dough dried on a dishtowel for about an hour, turned over once, before I placed it on a cutting board and cut it into thin strips with a pizza cutter.  I used ruler to help guide my hand.  Even though they’d been left to dry for a bit, the noodles were closer to fresh noodles so I boiled them just 2-3 minutes, tasting several as the moments passed.  With homemade noodles, you can really appreciate the al dente stage. 

Although my noodles were much thicker than my aunt’s, there were tender and light.  We ate them in a lemony-sage stewing broth from thinly sliced pork chops.  The texture of the noodles reminded me of the kind of noodle I’ve eaten in Japanese soups.  Pleasantly (but not too) chewy and really flavorful from absorbed broth. 

If we hadn’t eaten all the noodles, I could have dried the uncooked ones completely and stored them in an airtight container for another night or put them in the freezer in single serving mounds.  Next time I’ll try a full recipe.  And one where I get to build a crater for the eggs. 

Homemade Noodles for Two
Adapted from The Best of Amish Cooking by Plyllis Pellman Good, published 1988

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
3/4-1 cup flour
large pinch salt

Method

1. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and water with a fork until completely mixed. Add salt and most of the flour.  
2. Mix, first with the fork and then with your hands, to create a stiff but still flexible dough.  Add more flour as needed, a tablespoon as a time.  If the dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water.  
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and roll out into as thin a sheet as possible. Turn the dough over as needed and sprinkle on a bit more flour to keep it form sticking.  Now try rolling it even thinner.  
4. Slide the thin sheet onto a dishtowel to dry for an hour, turning once.  (If towel becomes too damp, replace it.)  
5. Once dough is dry to the touch, cut thin strips using a knife, pastry or pizza cutter.  There are also multi-blade pasta cutters for noodles.  (If you have one, you are already more experienced than anyone else trying this recipe.)
6. To eat the noodles right away, place them in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Taste them for the desired consistency.  The thinness of your rolled out sheet of dough will determine how long the noodles take to cook. Drain and toss with your favorite sauce or a bit of butter and chopped parsley.  
7. To store, dry sliced noodles completely and store in an airtight container.  Cook dried noodles as above but for a few minutes longer, perhaps 7-9 minutes.  

Note: My mother recently reminded me that Emma, who frequently called me over while she cooked to show me the desired color, texture or shape of an ingredient, did not step into the kitchen until midlife when family circumstances required that she learn to cook in addition to her full time job.  One of my many cooking heroes, Emma demonstrated that cooking is a skill any of us can master when it is our time.