a whisk and a spoon

Taste&Create IX: Hummus and Pita Chips

With pita or raw veggies, in a fried egg sandwich on Turkish pide, or on a bagel…hummus if so good.  I know it’s ridiculously easy to make, but it’s something I never do myself.  You know, I make my own baba ghanoush, and opening up a can of chick peas is certainly less involved than roasting an eggplant, so what’s the excuse?  In Brooklyn, it was perhaps understandable because I was spoiled by having Sahadi’s and their amazing hummus practically around the corner (then I would skip up the block to Damascus Bakery for fresh pita!).  Now there’s no Sahadi’s, so there’s also no excuse.   

Min from The Bad Girl’s Kitchen is my partner in crime for this month’s edition of Taste&Create.  I’m making Middle Eastern food for dinner tonight, and I found a great, lemony hummus recipe on her site.  Made in the food processor, it’s done in under five.  Needing something to go with my/her hummus, I also made Min’s pita chips.  They were salty and crunchy and a perfect companion to my bowl of hummus.

Thanks, Min, for weaning me off the store-bought stuff with your great recipes!   Also, thanks as always to Nicole from For the Love of Food for hosting T&C!

Taste&Create VI: Roasted Tomatoes with Basil with Cherrapeño

For this month’s Taste&Create Nicole from For the Love of Food matched me up with Nic from Cherrapeño.  Nic has a lot of good-looking sweet treats on her blog (I have all the ingredients to make one of them and if I’m able to this weekend, I will), but for events like these, I often like to branch out to the savory side of the cooking world.  Nic grows her own chilies and herbs and puts them to good use on the dinner table.

I decided to make Nic’s roasted tomatoes with basil.  I thought they would be perfect with what I was already making for dinner– broccolini and a vegetable lasagna without tomato sauce. These were so easy to make, it almost felt like a cop out, but let me tell you, they are super flavorful and just burst in your mouth.  No wonder she says they are one of her favorite dishes..now they’re one of mine, too. 

You can find more detail on Nic’s site, but essentially tomatoes, basil and garlic are slow-roasted in the oven with a little olive oil.  Then balsamic is drizzled on top before serving.  I used some large-sized cherry tomatoes I had and sprinkled on a little sea salt, black pepper and more fresh basil when they were out of the oven.  It’s really a beautiful end of summer side dish.

Thanks Nic and Nicole for a great event!

Taste&Create V: Turkey Chili with We [heart] Food

I’m starting off the new year with another round of Taste&Create hosted by Nicole from For the Love of Food.  This month, Nicole paired me up with Chris and Lisa from We [heart] Food.  One look at Chris and Lisa’s blog and I knew I would have a hard time deciding which of their dishes to make myself.  They like some spicy food, and that’s right up my alley!

I finally decided to go with a recipe for turkey chili that they made in September.  I hadn’t had chili in forever, and I always equate it with football season.  I thought my husband would be pleased if I made him a little dinner-time tribute to the playoffs, especially seeing as how his team (the Chargers) is in the mix this year.  Never you mind that when you live in Australia, the American football games are on at five in the morning. 

Ground turkey, beans, and peppers simmered in tomatoes and lots of spices– this was perfect with a hunk of cornbread and a cold beer.  And it was easy to make, too.  I do admit that I forgot to buy the scallions for garnish…not that it is really a substitution, but I grated a little cheese on top instead.  Thanks Nicole, Chris and Lisa!

Taste&Create III: Sushi with Sushi Day

I am always drooling over the fantastic things that you make, photograph and write about on your blogs.  There are probably hundreds of recipes that I’ve seen on other sites that I’d like to try myself someday.  Unfortunately, sometimes I need a kick in the seat to do things.  Well, Nicole from For the Love of Food has come up with a food event called “Taste&Create“, pairing up food bloggers to try out each other’s recipes.  How perfect! 

Nicole paired me up with Allison from Sushi Day.  Sushi!  I love sushi!  It is something that I get intense cravings for that must be satisfied quickly.  But uh-oh.  Sushi is also something that I’ve always gone out for, and never tried to make myself. 

Allison has a lot of great info on her site to get a grasp of the basics of sushi-making, and a lot of great ideas for combinations, many of them inspired by trips to her favorite Japanese restaurants.  While I am crazy about unagi (eel) and anything involving raw tuna, I decided to play it a bit safer for my first foray into sushi-making and make her Crunchy Shrimp Roll.  I also knew that both R and my brother would happily devour anything with tempura shrimp and avocado.

After picking up a bamboo rolling mat at a local Japanese grocery, I had to read up on preparing the rolling mat and how to roll maki sushi.  And I needed to start with some sumeshi, or sushi rice.  Slightly sweet and vinegary, I think the taste and stickiness of the sumeshi are what’s responsible for those sushi cravings I get every couple of weeks.  Then I had to fry off a few pieces of tempura shrimp, following Allison’s instructions for how to make tempura, before prepping my scallions and avocado.  Assembling and rolling the maki wasn’t hard at all, thanks to Allison’s step-by-step photos and advice.

So there it is, my very first maki roll!  Not too bad looking, and certainly tasty!

Since I had prepared a lot of rice and had extra pieces of tempura shrimp and avocado, I also went ahead and made Allison’s Spicy Tempura Roll as well.  Its zippy, peppery kick made it another big hit at the dinner table!

Thank you Allison for teaching me how to make sushi myself– armed with my rolling mat, I will be back for more!  And thank you Nicole for hosting such a cool event!

Risotto Relay: Baked Risotto

How do you make risotto without all that standing over a pot and stirring?  You cheat and bake it in the oven!  Baked risotto is a technique I have read about in a few places, and I thought I would give it a shot for the Risotto Relay being held by Sathya and Liz, authors of the lovely blog The Baker & The Curry Maker.

All the recipes I’ve seen follow a very similar process.  Cook the onions on the stovetop first, add in rice and liquid and bring to a simmer.  Then chuck in your other ingredients and pop it in the oven at 400°F/200°C for about half an hour.  I went ahead and riffed on a recipe for baked risotto with zucchini, tomato and parmesan from superstar Sydney chef Bill Granger, whose food I love.  It is in his book bills food.

I obviously made a few additions to recipe I provide below.  I sauteed a clove of minced garlic along with the onions.  A splash of white wine went into the pot at the same time as the stock and chopped tomatoes.  And finally, halfway though the oven-baking process, I stirred in some raw, peeled and de-veined shrimp.  I know that seafood and cheese breaks the rules (so does baking your risotto, really), but I used the parmesan in the recipe anyway.

OK, I admit that this is doesn’t really give you that creamy starchiness that a traditional risotto has, but I will definitely make it again.  If you are feeling a little lazy, it is a perfectly delicious and acceptable substitute for the real thing, and it is so versatile.  Next time, I think I’ll try it with chicken and mushrooms…maybe I’ll add a little extra liquid partway through the cooking process and stir in a pat of butter when it’s done to see if I get a creamier end result.

Baked Risotto with Zucchini, Tomato and Parmesan– makes 4 servings
from bills food by Bill Granger

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 t sea salt
1 cup arborio rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
14 oz can chopped Roma (plum) tomatoes
3 small zucchini, finely sliced
2 1/4 oz freshly grated Parmesan
freshly ground black pepper
2 T finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
shavings of Parmesan, for serving (optional)

-Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Heat a 3-quart/3-litre capacity ovenproof dish (with a lid) over a medium heat.

-Add the olive oil, onion and sea salt and stir for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.

-Add the rice to the dish and stir for another minute. Add the stock or water and the chopped tomatoes and bring to simmering point. Stir in the zucchini and sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper.

-Cover the dish and bake the risotto for 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Scatter parsley over the top, sprinkle with Parmesan shavings if desired, and serve in the dish.

HHDD#14: Potato Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

Oh potato gnocchi, why do you torture me so?  Homemade gnocchi has been a bit of sore spot for me.  I’ve made the leadballs, and even worse, the disintegrators– the ones that fall apart in the simmering water, leaving you with a pot full of mess and no dinner.  So why am I even bothering to try again?  First, because I LOVE them (!), and second, because gnocchi is the theme for this month’s Hay Hay It’s Donna Day, hosted by Cafe Lynnylu.  It doesn’t hurt that I finally had one of my restaurant buddies show me a good technique, either.

Bake the potatoes in a salt crust (this helps them really dry out) and rice them while they’re still hot.  Then let them cool to room temperature before adding the other ingredients.  Making the gnocchi dough is definitely a “by feel” kind of thing.  Start with some flour and add more as you lightly knead the dough, until its no longer sticky and you can move it around easily.  Going overboard on the flour, however, will give you dense gnocchi.  Then let the dough rest before rolling and shaping.  I’ve never seen this step in any books, but it my friend swears that this is crucial to avoiding those aforementioned “disintegrators.”

Although R would rather have a heavy Bolognese covering his gnocchi, I decided to slice and dice a few veggies to go with them.  I quickly sautéed matchsticks of zucchini and carrot along with grape tomatoes, minced garlic, snap peas and corn in some butter and olive oil.  Then I threw in a splash of chicken stock and cooked it down to make it a bit saucy.  I tossed through the cooked gnocchi, and after a little s&p and grated Parmesan, my dish was done.  And it was light and delicious.

P.S.  I saw Donna Hay give a live demo in Sydney in June.  R was convinced she didn’t exist, and thought it just a brand-name.  She is in fact very real, is quite funny and cooked a lovely dinner party menu.

Potato Gnocchi – makes 4-6 servings

3 large baking potatoes
Kosher salt for crusting potatoes
1 1/2 egg yolks
4 oz all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 handful of Parmesan (grated)
salt and pepper to taste

-Scrub potatoes, dry with a tea towel and lightly crust with Kosher salt.

-Place on a baking sheet, and bake in a 400°F/200°C oven until baked though (about 45-60 minutes).

-Peel and rice potatoes while still hot.  Spread riced potatoes over a sheet tray to cool to room temperature.

-Add egg yolks, Parmesan and salt and pepper to cooled potatoes.

-Add in initial amount of flour and combine mixture with your hands.  Add in additional flour as needed until you have a cohesive dough that’s no longer sticky.  (I probably needed another 2 ounces or so for my batch…depends on the potatoes.)  Do not overwork.  Form into a large log and let rest on a floured surface, covered with a tea towel for 15-20 minutes.

-Break off pieces of dough and roll them into ropes on a floured surface.  (If the rope falls apart when you roll it, knead in a bit more flour.)  Use a paring knife or a metal bench scraper to cut the rope into 3/4″ pieces.  Toss in a little flour to keep from sticking together and move aside while you proceed with the rest of the dough.

-Bring a large pot of water to the boil.  Salt it as you would pasta water.  Cook gnocchi in batches to avoid overcrowding, and simmer until they float to the surface.  Remove with a slotted spoon.

**Extra uncooked gnocchi freezes well.  Spread them on a sheet tray in a single layer and freeze for about an hour.  Then put in a zip-top bag or airtight container for freezer storage.