Orzo Hellas

Some of you may be aware of my... uh... soft spot (read: fetish) for Chef Michael Psilakis' restaurants. His places give justice to all food, whether fine or hearty. My wallet loves him for that.

My favorite thing at Kefi is the orzo dish, which inspired Orzo Hellas. Not quite as decadent as Psilakis (deliberately so), but it certainly satisfied my craving.

 
 Orzo Hellas
8 oz of orzo
1/2 eggplant, cubed into 1/4 - 1/2 inch peices
1 zucchini, same size as eggplant
1 cup sweet red, yellow, or orange peppers, diced
6 oz baby spinach
1/2 cup water
1 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes
6 scallions, thickly sliced
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced (if you have time, poach these whole in olive oil with a bay leaf and puree, then skip the saute step and add in with scallions... bumps it up a notch) 
8 oz real parmesan or kaseri cheese, grated
parsley and dill
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Coat a large pot with olive oil, and warm on low to mid heat. Add the zucchini and eggplant, add a pinch of salt, and cook for ten minutes or until eggplant is tender. Remove and reserve.
2. In the same pot, coat again (generously) with olive oil, add garlic and cook on low heat for two minutes. Add shallots, cook until translucent. Add scallions and peppers, cook for one minute. Add eggplant and zucchini.
3. Cook orzo according to package, drain and reserve.
4. Pour can of tomatoes and water into veggie mixture, season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
5. Add orzo and baby spinach, combine and let spinach wilt. Serve with a heap of kaseri or parmesan, cracked black pepper, and chopped herbs on top.

Silky, slightly sweet, light... yet warm and seemingly bottomless. Great for a rainy spring day.

Alternate serving recommendation: Forget the cheese, double the herbs and drizzle with a really fruity extra virgin olive oil. That would make a lovely vegan dish.

Think twice about that Gardenburger

Although I don't eat perfectly, I do have an extreme wariness of processed food, and soy in particular.  But say it ain't so: most veggie burgers are tainted with neurotoxins.  Frightening, I know.  It's a chemical made from crude oil (which is almost a euphemism: you can also think of it as a petroleum by-product) that's also present in rubber cement and gasoline.  (Awesome.)  It is used to extract oil from soybeans.

What's worse is that hexane (the chemical at issue) is used to extract cooking oils that aren't expeller or cold pressed. I just checked my cooking oils, which are purchased solely from health food stores: one cold pressed, one expeller pressed, and one mystery product.  I wonder my local take out place is using.

Mother Jones answers your questions.  Think before you eat, because no processed product is going to be as good for you as organic whole foods.

Quick meal: Tangy Fruit Compote and Greek Yogurt

I am super busy with school work, but I still need to eat. Here's a really quick recipe.


Tangy Fruit Compote with Greek Yogurt (or The Suspiciously Swarthy Scandinavian)
1 pear, chopped into small pieces
1 cup of strawberries, sliced
1 cup of rhubarb, chopped into  1/4 inch slices
2 tbsps sugar (more to taste)
1/3 cup water
vanilla
cinnamon
2-3 green cardamom pods
1/2 - 1 tsp cracked black pepper

plain Greek yogurt

1. Combine pear, rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, water, and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat.  Stir occasionally, adding a dash of vanilla and cinnamon.
2. Once fruit has softened and reduced some, add a little black pepper, taste, repeat until satisfied. You may wish to add more sugar as well.  Keep lid off until desired consistency. Remove from heat and cool in the refrigerator.
3. Serve cold with Greek yogurt. I like a 1:1 ratio, but that's just me!

Also delicious with something crunchy... granola or:
1/8 cup pepitas, raw
1/3 cup rolled oats
honey or agave nectar
cinnamon
pinch of salt

Layout pepitas and oats on a nonstick baking sheet. Generously drizzle with agave or honey, add a dash of cinnamon (not too much or it will be bitter), and toss in a tiny pinch of salt. Mix everything together until evenly coated, and redistribute onto the baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 400 for 5 minutes, keeping a watchful eye. Do NOT burn the pepitas, or everything will be too bitter.

The compote would also be delicious simply on top of plain oatmeal. Mmm. I'm not sure I made enough!

Sirens and Muses: Renee's enticing watercolors

Renee's Garden Seeds initially seems like a small, run-of-the-mill online seed catalog... but don't be fooled.  Each seed variety has a beautiful watercolor illustration to pique your imagination. Not only that, but she has great information and suggestions for container gardening, including the ability to filter shopping searches for seeds well suited for containers.

(a sampling of Renee's gorgeous illustrations)

Cilantro and bedbugs?

While we are on the topic of cilantro....

Sirens and Muses: Red, White and Blue

It has been so hard to study lately....

(the view from my book... or red, white and blue)

Argentina in Appalachia: Ramp Chimichurri Steak over Salad

This weekend at the farmers market, it was officially spring.  They were selling green things!!!! Officially trumpeting in the season were ramps.  It was pandemonium at the farmer's table, at 10 am I was three people deep trying to get some of these Appalachian "spring leeks." I wanted to make something not on the farmers suggestion board, and came up with a delicious and quick weeknight dinner.

Chimichurri Sauce with Ramps
1 bunch ramps
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil 
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp sea salt
a generous pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Cold wash ramps. Slice off bottoms, chop and inch or so off the top.  Remove any slimy outer skins.  Cold wash again. (Obviously, wash your parsley and cilantro.)
2. Combine all ingredients in your food processor or blender.  If using an immersion blender, chop up ingredients and start with the wet ingredients and just a handful of the herbs.  Keep adding until herbs are gone.

Chimichurri Steak Salad
Steak, 1/2 lb - 1 lb of your choosing (Hint: a thin, chewy cut of meat will do just fine)
8 campari tomatoes, 20 cherry, or  25 grape tomatoes
1/4 vidalia onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
mixed greens
olive oil
red wine or unseasoned rice vinegar
salt
Chimichurri sauce (recipe above)

1. Set aside 1/2 - 1 cup of chimichurri sauce. Marinade the steak for six hours (or while you are at work) in the remaining sauce.
2. When ready to cook, take out reserved chimichurri and bring to room temperature. 
3. Brush tomatoes with olive oil and salt. Put under broiler until skin blisters.
4. Meanwhile, grill or cook steak in a skillet with a splash of olive oil.
5.  In a bowl, combine mixed greens, avocado, vidalia, and tomatoes.  Top with the steak, sliced.
6. Thin remaining chimichurri with a tablespoon or two of vinegar.  Pour atop steak and serve. Break the tomatoes to combine with chimichurri/steak juices to make a killer dressing for the greens while you eat!

A Succulent Re-Do

 future inspiration

My friend Annie had some ladies over for some terrarium making a couple of months ago.  It was delightful, we got our hands dirty and everyone walked away with a little green to brighten our dark Brooklyn apartments.

Unfortunately, I put a lid on my succulent terrarium. It just looked prettier that way, okay?  My little desert plants rotted away, one by one, with just a hint of moisture.  I recently opened the lid to see yellow round mold spores clumped on the soil.  YUCK.  So, I created a succulent arrangement to replace my terrarium, one I cannot put a lid on. I think I like it better.

 

How to make a succulent arrangements

(or, what I have learned along the way)

• Put a layer of small stones at the bottom of your container, about one inch.
• Line with a layer of charcoal, about a half inch.
• Combine cactus soil and perlite, at a ratio of about 50/50.  You may elect to use sand. Even  the store bought cactus soil can be too moist.
• Place your succulents as you'd like the arranged, bring soil over to bury the roots, keeping the roots fairly shallow. Press lightly.
• Spritz with water when completed.
• Let the soil dry out completely before watering.  Do not water often or the plants will rot.
• Place near a nice, bright window.
• Remove any rot immediately, as it will spread to the other plants.
• Resist the urge to cover it, no matter how cute.

The trouble with cilantro

My mother said to me yesterday, "Where did you learn to garden? I can't keep anything alive." I answered my mother that I didn't. I just keep trying, and every year I've gotten better.  Part of my success is due to my hideous self watering, well draining container.  It babys my herbs when I don't have time to do so myself.

This year I added cilantro to my miracle container. Then came the wind, and somehow the roots came to the surface. I reburied them.  It happened again.  I reburied them again.  Then I noticed the stems were tangled. So after some fruitless internet research, I untangled them. Now they are limply strewn about, leaning on my dill and slowly bringing it down.  (I still have no clue why the roots keep coming to the surface, but I'm just going to let that slide.)


 So, things to know before you grow cilantro:

• Cilantro is a cool weather plant, believe it or not. It bolts (flowers) really quickly when the weather warms up to 75, and you can no longer enjoy it's deliciousness. 
• Cut off the flower heads to extend the plant's life. This is not guaranteed to work, but I hear the flowers are edible and rather yummy.
• Alternatively, let the flower heads drop and pray for a second crop of the season.
• It prefers morning and late afternoon sun, even though it is technically a "full sun plant" because it is so sensitive to heat.
•  Cilantro does not transplant well.  (Oops.)  You are better off seeding directly in the container.
• It grows in clumps because its stems are weak. (Ah, whoops.)

Good Morning! Morning Glory Muffins

A week doesn't go by without me wishing two things: (1) It is summer, and I am on an ocean beach (2) I have in my possession a beautiful Morning Glory Muffin ready for snacking.  This recipe is a slight modification from the original Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket as featured in Gourmet.

Morning Glory Muffins
1 apple, peeled and grated (trick: grate the apple as a whole, using the core as a handle)
2 cups carrots, coarsely grated (use a food processor or you will be grating all day)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup sugar (use only 1 cup if using sweetened apple sauce)
2 tsps baking soda
2 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce (preferably unsweetened, adjust sugar if sweetened)
1 tsp vanilla



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tins well.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Add the first five ingredients, and stir.
3.  Whisk remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, and then add to dry mixture.
4. Spoon into muffin tray and bake for thirty minutes or until the muffins are firm and spring back to touch. Take out of the oven and cool on wire racks. For best results, let sit several hours (24 ideally) before eating.

Sirens and Muses: Springtime

 

A pilfered spring sprig

Don't you sometimes need a little inspiration?

After graduating from college, life was great. I lived in my favorite neighborhood, frequently saw my friends and boyfriend, and was walking distance to everything I enjoyed.  I had a healthy lifestyle and my spirit was adventurous and inspired.  But... it wasn't going anywhere, and let's face it, I am an ambitious lass.  Twenty-five hit me with a loud smack in the face.

Now I'm in law school, and while I am almost 1/3 of the way to going somewhere in life, my "life" as I knew it was gone.  I often tell people I feel like Rapunzel, sitting in my turreted apartment building on the very edge of Brooklyn, waiting for my rescue.  (Reading ridiculous amounts of six point print and typing furiously as I wait.)  Delayed gratification can be a struggle.

Today I lunched with a friend who is pursuing the romantic entrepreneurial lifestyle I envy.  His stories reminded me that being inspired is a key element to enjoying life.  So, I now introduce Sirens and Muses, a series of posts: temptations and inspirations to prod us into creating, into getting all hands on deck.  Even when we don't have time to create, we can dream.

Spring Peas

I am ignoring the fact that I have not even touched my Contracts reading for later today in order to share a little bit of goodness with you.

Pea salad. I know what you are thinking, but hear me out. Sweet peas, herbs, feta... it can't get much better. I have not yet seen any peas at the farmers market, so I used frozen peas. However, the texture of fresh peas would be delightful. I paired this dish with lamb and potatoes on Easter, and it stole the show.

Amy's Pea Salad

Ingredients:
1 1 lb bag frozen, petite peas defrosted (Whole Food's own organic ones are excellent)
1/3 lb good feta Not cow's feta. Not salty American feta. Good feta. (I used Valbreso.) If you can't find good feta, use goat cheese. If you want something more subtle, I think this would be great with ricotta salata also.
1/2 cup of mint leaves, roughly chopped
2-4 scallions, sliced into rounds
1 bunch of radishes, sliced into rounds or cubed
1/2 long cucumber, or one whole short one, sliced into rounds or cubed
2 tbps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbps red wine vinegar

Directions: Get ready for it... combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss thoroughly and serve immediately at room temperature.  Voila! Low calorie, extremely healthy, and oh-so-springtime.