Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese and Salt & Pepper Almonds

Sweet is usually the direction I go when it comes to strawberries, but these gorgeous berries are also delicious with herbs, cheese or just on a simple salad. As my contribution to a four family picnic I tossed together this salad with some beautiful strawberries, fresh goat cheese, salt and pepper almonds and a basil tarragon vinaigrette. The flavors and textures in this salad are wonderful, and it's a little healthier than strawberry shortcake....

Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese and Salt & Pepper Almonds
with Basil Tarragon Vinaigrette

One large head red leaf lettuce washed, dried and torn
1 pint strawberries, cleaned and sliced
4 oz of fresh chevre goat cheese (or feta)
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1 tablespoon butter
salt and peppe

To make Salt & Pepper Almonds:
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet, add butter. Over medium heat toss in almonds, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until almonds are starting to brown, but not burn. Let cool.

To make Basil Tarragon Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons vinegar (white, white balsamic or apple cider is fine)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, honey or agave
handful each of basil and tarragon, finely chopped

Whisk all ingredients together or shake well in a jar.

To assemble salad:
Toss lettuce with dressing. Top with almonds, strawberries and crumbled goat cheese.

Enjoy!!!  

If you want to go pick some berries, check out: pickyourown.org or in CT try: buyctgrown.com
My favorite strawberry picking spot is: jonesfamilyfarms.com in Shelton, CT

What savory dishes do you make with strawberries?

Quick Yellow Rice & Beans

This dish is one of my favorite quick standby meals. I love rice and beans because it's delicious, inexpensive, healthy and easy. It's also versitile. Sometimes I make it with chicken, sometimes with olives or peppers if I have them. The yellow can come from saffron or saffron powder, but more often I use a little tumeric, as it is cheaper and I always have it around. This meal literally takes 3 minutes to put in the rice cooker and is great on it's own or topped with a fried egg and salad. The bowl above was a batch I made for one of my kids birthday parties, when I suddenly realized that I had not planned much food for the adults, so quickly threw the ingredients into the cooker, flipped the switch and presto... a quickly meal.

Of course you can make this in a pot or frying pan, but I do love my rice cooker that I got at a tag sale about 15 years ago. Now rice cookers are sold just about everywhere, including pharmacies, like Wallgreens!

You don't really need much of a recipe for this dish. Just remember the parts: rice, liquid, seasoning, beans and fun additions like olives, peas, broccoli, spinach, peppers, curry&raisins etc....If you like your veggies bright green you can add them at the very end or cook them separately and mix them in at the end.

For this batch I used:
2 cups jasmine rice*
3 cups water
1 can beans ( I think I used half black and half kidney in this batch)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (or saffron or achiote)
1 teaspoon salt or adobo seasoning (or make your own using salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper)**
handful of pitted green olives (optional)
half a red pepper finely diced (optional)
1 cup peas (optional)

*If using brown rice, use 2 Cups rice to 4 Cups water or stock
** you can taste the liquid before cooking and adjust seasoning as needed.
Add all the ingredients into a rice cooker. Click it on to cook, wait and then enjoy!

A few weeks ago I made this version of chicken with yellow rice and beans. Season and sear skinless chicken thighs in a little oil in a deep frying pan, remove and add onion. Saute until translucent, add rice  and saute for one minute. Add beans, chicken, seasoning and water or stock. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Add a touch more water if needed.

If you feel like making this even more special and delicious, finely chop or puree lots of onion, garlic and any herbs you like (cilantro is nice). Saute this mixture in a bit of olive oil, add rice and saute until opaque, then add the liquid or the rest of your ingredients.

How do you like to make rice and beans?

Spring Gardening

Aside from my sugar snap peas, some garlic and some lettuce seeds, my garden is still waiting for seeds and plants. I made the mistake of planting some little cucumber seedlings a week or so ago (see my daughter planting them above), but the cold and hard rain hammered them to oblivion...good thing there is still time to plant more, lots more!

We grow food in six raised beds in our backyard. If you want to see how we built them, check out this detailed post. We used douglas fir for the wood, which is much cheaper than cedar, and seems to be holding up quite well. Each year we add some compost to the beds and plant more seeds and seedlings. I love that it is easier and easier to find seeds and seedlings at the grocery store, flower stands and farmers' markets, there is an ever expanding variety of food to grow. Even the big box stores are carrying organic seeds (not that I'm promoting that you by them there, but still!)

My bag of seeds from years past and a note pad to map out where I'm planting...essential!

If you are in the northeast, there is still time to build some raised beds, fill some pots, or prep some window boxes for growing food. If you are in the New Haven area this weekend, go check out the Common Ground School seedling sale. Get there early, it's usually packed and they have tons of varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, peppers....sheep sheering, face painting and more. 

For more info:

How to Build Raised Garden Beds Affordably

Common Ground Seedling Sale and Farm Festival - Saturday May 18th 10am-3pm

Also, check out some of these great FREE garden events happening around town this season...thank you to the New Haven Food Policy Council's Urban Agriculture Working Group!

What are you planting in your garden?

Pie Party 2013 in Pictures

What a great night! Fabulous folks, tons of pie, and my friend James, the self proclaimed "Pie Virgin" was converted to the joys of pie! It has taken me a little while to post the pictures, my apologies, but I figured better late than never! There were great pies both sweet and savory, Shepards pie, pasties, caramel apple hand pies and peach pie all using local in March in New England, and a slew of other tasty delights... lobster pie, coconut cream pie, chocolate cream pie with a bird made out of fruit on top, lemon curd tartlets, key lime pie, peach and ricotta hand pies, chess pie and more....see for yourself....

And James eating his first bite of pie EVER!!!

It was fun and delicious...and I don't think I want to eat pie again for a long long time...

Rainbow Parfaits

April is birthday land in my house. My husband, daughter, son and mother all have b-days this month. Lucky for me, while my little girl loves birthdays, she is not so into cake, so for her celebration I get to be b-day creative with something other than flour for one out of the four celebrations. Last year I made these chocolate cups with lemon verbena cream, this year she wanted something with a rainbow, so I made rainbow parfaits. Luscious whipped cream layered with homemade fruit purees: raspberry, passion fruit, mango, kiwi and blackberry. Simple to make, although a bit time consuming, but fabulous, and well worth the effort. I topped these with meringues, another 5 year old favorite. 

 The more labor intensive rainbow treats were reserved for the kids, so for the adults I made a large decadent fruit fool: layers of whipped cream sweetened with condensed milk, layered with passion fruit syrup, and sliced fruit. For another version of this treat I brought to a pot luck later that weekend I added pieces of coconut cake to soak up the juices turning the fool into a triffle.  The passion fruit puree has an incredible flavor and really adds the most amazing accent to these fruit and whipped cream desserts, you can certainly use another orange fruit, but if you can find it, the passion fruit puree is well worth the extra effort!  Look in the frozen food section of grocery stores in areas where there is a latino community, they often carry Goya or La Fey brand frozen fruit pulps.

While the birthday dessert was a huge hit, I think her favorite part of the party was the rainbow candy machine she invented. It was her version of a piñata re-imagined," you don't hit it, papa will shake it and treats with come out wooden slides sticking out the side".  I filled it with chocolates, stickers and other little party favors. 

Food for the party was a rainbow buffet of fruits, vegetables and snacks. The kids ran an obstacle course in our neighbor's driveway, and I basked in the joy of making my little girl's birthday wishes come true for her special day.  

The cheese dish on the right was a big hit with the adults. I had intended to use farmer's cheese, but saw a great looking South American cheese at the market called Aztec Cheese, a fresh cheese, a little firmer and saltier than farmers cheese. I topped it with a drizzle of blood orange flavored olive oil (you could just add a little orange zest to some good olive oil), a good dose of black pepper and chopped scallions. It was delicious, refreshing and a great accompaniment to the rest of the food. 

Rainbow Fruit Triffle

Composed individual version (10 triffles) - simple big bowl version below

1 quart whipping cream (2 pints)

1 can condensed milk (or powdered sugar to taste)

2 teaspoons vanilla

2-3 cups each of a rainbow of fruits, I used raspberries, mango, kiwi and black berries

2 frozen blocks of passion fruit (in the frozen section with goya or other latino food brand products

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar

Sugar - to sweeten each fruit puree to taste

1. Using fresh fruit or frozen but thawed fruit, make a simple puree out of each fruit by mashing it or putting it into the blender with a little sugar to your liking. I barely sweetened the fruit. Place each puree in a ziplock bag. This can be done a day or two in advance.

2. To thicken the passion fruit juice, put thawed juice or frozen juice into a small sauce pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar to taste. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of thawed juice or water until it is completely dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the passion fruit juice, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 seconds or so until it thickens. Cool completely and put into a ziplock bag. 

3. Whip cream until thickened, sweetening it with condensed milk, or powdered sugar if you prefer. The condensed milk results in a creamier whipped cream. Place whipped cream in a pipping bag fitted with a small circle tip or in a gallon sized ziplock bag. 

4. To assemble: find small (4oz or less) glasses or plastic cups. I found these at a local dollar store, and have saved them to use again. Snip the corner off of the whipped cream ziplock bag and each fruit puree as you need it. Starting with whipped cream, pipe a thin layer over the bottom of the cup, continue alternating with each fruit puree and whipped cream in color order. I used the passion fruit puree for orange, and the mango for yellow. You can top these with a big dollop of whipped cream, decorate with fruit or make baked meringues as I did. 

Simplified Big Bowl Triffle

1 Quart Cream

1 can condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 frozen packet passion fruit juice
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener to taste

Assortment of fruits, sliced

Coconut or vanilla cake, angel food cake or lady finders, or other treat to soak up the fruit juices (optional)

1. Slice fruit and place in separate containers. Berries can be sprinkled with sugar to help the juices come out. Thaw passion fruit juice, sweeten with sugar, honey or other sweetener to taste.
2. Whip the cream with the condensed milk and vanilla. 
3. Layer all of the ingredients in a glass bowl making a lovely pattern on the outside of the bowl. Each cake layer can be topped with fruit and passion fruit juice so it soaks of the juices. 

Note: if you don't have any cake, the whipped cream and fruit alone make a fabulous decadent dessert. 

Do you have any great birthday food ideas to share?

Passover 2013

This year my mother is doing most of the passover cooking. My grandma is saying the soup pot is too heavy for her, so I'm on matzo ball soup duty, and while I usually jockey for as much space as possible on the dessert portion of the menu, last week's Pie Party pushed me over the edge on sweets, so I'm leaving that up to everyone else this year. If you are looking for some passover menu inspiration, you can check some of my favorites, including some good vegetarian dishes, the basics on chicken soup and a great chocolate sweet potato cake and almond cardamom cake HERE (my essay on passover and slavery from a few years back starts off the post). 

Here are some other good recipe hunting spots:

Epicurious - tons of recipes - it helps to read a few reviews to see which recipes seem like ones you'll like.

NY Times - A long list of passover recipes including sephardic dishes

Smitten Kitchen - Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte, and I fully agree with her distaste for matzo meal in anything but matzoball soup....

  

For those of you gathering for a Seder, I hope you have a peaceful, contemplative and delicious time.

-Tagan

Get Ready, Get Set....Pie Party 2013

Time to get ready for another Pie Party. That's right, all pie, all night. Savory, sweet, traditional or inventive, a bunch of friends will be arriving later today each with a pie in hand and we will dig in and enjoy.

My inspiration for a Pie Party came from my fabulous sister who lives up in Northampton, MA. She held her annual Pie Party last weekend, with over 100 people...tons of pies, awards (like the one on the left) for things like the best pie name, best chocolate pie, best pizza pie, etc... Our party is much smaller and a little lower key...but we love the chance to get creative with pie. So far I've made a blueberry cardamom pie, and some lemon curd for my son's pie invention. I'll post pictures and final recipes post party. 

If you want to get a glimpse, here are some pics from our last Pie Party in 2011....

...and if you are wondering about my infatuation with pie...check out my How to be a Pie Ninja class. 

The stakes are a little higher this year, as my friend James is coming and I have just discovered that in his 45 years, despite having a sweet tooth, the man has never, ever eaten pie! He's a pie virgin, a pie hater....can he be converted to the world of pie?

Challenge accepted!

Orange Pepper Almonds

Candied nuts have got to be one of the most addictive foods around. Crunchy, a little sweet, a little salty and a peppery kick for fun. These are unbelievably simple to make and take 15 minutes start to finish (including the cooking time). They knock a salad up from standard fare to fabulous meal or make for a great snack when friends are stopping by (which is what inspired them this weekend). You can use any kind of nut you like. Starting with raw nuts (not roasted) is best so they aren't being cooked twice. I love the combination of orange zest, honey, salt and pepper, but really you can use any syrupy sweetener you like and any spices: curry, corriander and cumin, cocoa and chipotle or ancho chili, cinnamon and nutmeg etc... have fun with this...the cooking part, and the munching part. 

Orange Pepper Almonds

2 cups raw almonds (you can substitute any nut you like, walnuts are great too!)

1 tablespoon honey (basically a thin drizzle, just enough to very lightly coat each nut)

zest of one small orange

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of raw sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, foil or a silpat. 
2. Toss almonds in honey until well coated all over. There should be a thin layer of honey on each nut, but they should not be dripping with honey or it will ooze and burn in the oven. Toss in the orange zest and season to taste with salt and pepper or any other spices you like. 
3. Spread onto prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 9-12 minutes until honey is bubbling on the edges of each nut and they are lightly browned, but not dark. If you want to use the raw sugar, pull the nuts from the oven at 7 minutes and sprinkle on a little raw sugar and continue baking until done. Cool completely, enjoy. Store in an air tight container (if you can keep them around). 

Here is a savory twist I sometimes make: just sauté almonds in a touch of butter with salt and pepper or any savory spices you like, and add to curry stir fried rice. A little more protein and crunch for a delicious meal.

What does this inspire you to make?