Baking Class: Homemade Vanilla Wafers

I haven't been baking much lately, but the weather is cooling and I've been feeling the urge.  We had our first company lunch after a summer hiatus this week and I decided to make dessert.

I had been looking at a recipe for homemade vanilla wafers for quite a while and this seemed the perfect time to try it.  The last time I decided to buy Vanilla Wafers at the store I took one look at the ingredients and put the box right back on the shelf.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with this humble little cookie.  When I was a child, it was pretty much the only sweet thing we had in the house on a regular basis that I liked.  Note that I did not love them.  But if I wanted something sweet, it was vanilla wafers or nothing.  So I ate them.

And I think I've written before about the time I was eating them for an afternoon snack and my great-aunt was sitting at the table with me and asked me if I wouldn't rather have moon cookies.  I asked what they were and she said she would only tell me what they were if I said yes.  So I said yes. And she immediately the cookies up from plate and took a half bite out of each and every one of them and laid them back down on my plate and smiled smugly at me.

And as usual, I knew there was some lesson I was supposed to be learning from that, but the only one I learned was to never trust my great-aunt again.  (Further incidents only served to cement this lesson, I am sorry to say.)

Having had so much success with my homemade graham crackers, I wondered if the difference between homemade and store-bought vanilla wafers would be just as striking.

And it was.  These are warm gems of vanilla sweetness with none of the chemical aftertaste I have always noticed in the store bought variety.  And they are easy to throw together.  I actually made the dough the night before I baked them, so it was a total of about half an hour each night, and they could be kept in the refrigerator for a few days before baking if necessary.

I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour here.  I have always thought of vanilla wafers as one of the healthier options in the cookie world.  Whole wheat pastry flour makes it even more healthy without compromising the flavor, in my humble opinion.  If you try it I'm sure you will agree.

Home Cooking 8.59 Chapter: Baked Goods (Sweet/Savory)

HOMEMADE VANILLA WAFERS

Makes 4 dozen cookies

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder

Combine the butter, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and use a hand mixer on medium high to cream the ingredients together. Add the flour and mix well. The result will be somewhat wet and sticky. Chill for at least half an hour or up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 400° and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roughly form the dough into small round balls about an inch in diameter and place them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.


from Penzeys Holiday 2013 catalog

exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Chickpea and Greens Curry Soup

My years-long streak of bad luck with Vegetarian Times recipes seems to have finally broken.  I had some chickpeas in the freezer and was looking for something to do with them when I ran across this reader recipe I had torn out of the magazine back in 2011.  I had everything on hand except for the greens so I grabbed some Swiss Chard at the store and was ready to go.

This cooks up pretty quickly and makes a satisfying lunch or dinner.  And you can add it to your repertoire of workday lunches, as it also travels well.

As usual, if you do not have the spices required, you can easily substitute with an equal amount of curry powder (which is what the original recipes calls for, so you won't even be cheating).

Home Cookin Version 8.59 Chapter: Soups and Stews

CHICKPEA AND GREENS CURRY SOUP

6-8 Servings

1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 bunches Swiss chard, stems removed and chopped; leaves roughly chopped
1-1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp cup chopped fresh dill (optional)
Yogurt for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, until the mustard seeds start popping. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, then add the jalapeno and chard stems and continue cook, stirring, until the onions have started to brown.

Add the spices and cook for 1 minute to release the spices, then add the tomato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften.

Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, and broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chard leaves and coconut milk and cook until the chard leaves have wilted, 5 to 10 more minutes. Add the cilantro and dill if using and serve garnished with the yogurt and more cilantro and dill, if desired.

adapted from Vegetarian Times, March 2011

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountain-software.com)

Yellow Beans with Tomato and Garlic

It's been an odd growing season around here this summer (if you can even call it summer), what with all the cool weather and rain, so everything was late and most of the things I regularly buy were neither plentiful nor so good this time around.  However, there is always that one fruit or vegetable that seems to thrive on the peculiarities and this year was no exception.  The beans seemed to rise to the challenge, and every time I went to the market they looked so bright and fresh and tasty that I ended up buying them every time.  Everything else ranged from "oh my, the poor dears," to "well I guess these look ok," but the beans just shone.  That is the one thing that I can hold onto from this season - the beans were plentiful and delicious.

I mostly made my Slow-Braised Green Beans, which were a hit pretty much everywhere I took them.  But this week I was gifted with the most beautiful yellow beans from my friend's garden and they were so firm and fresh that I wanted to try to retain as much of that fresh crispness as I could.  So I decided to try a different technique.  I wanted to cook them quickly but I did not want them to be too crisp, and as anyone who has cooked beans knows, the line between perfectly cooked and a bowl of mush is very fine, indeed.  That is why I was so happy to find the slow-braised method; it is the only time where the beans can cook for a long time without ending up a pile of mush.

But I wanted something faster than the slow-braising method, and I didn't feel like pulling out the wok for a stir-fry, which is another method of cooking the beans without overcooking them that I will sometimes use.  Besides, I wanted to try a different method to see if I have learned anything new in the past few years.  So I decided to just saute them in a skillet and hope for the best.

I was quite happy with the results.  When the beans were cooked I removed them from the skillet so I could thicken the braising liquid.  I ended up with perfectly cooked beans covered in a thick, rich sauce.

Home Cookin 8.59: My Recipes

YELLOW BEANS WITH TOMATO AND GARLIC

4 servings

1 lb yellow beans, trimmed and broken in half
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato puree

Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat in medium sized skillet. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly, being careful not to let it burn. Add the beans and cook for about 5 minutes, until they just start to get tender. Add the wine, tomato puree, thyme and dill. Season with the salt and pepper.

As soon as the liquid begins to boil take the heat down to low, cover the skillet, and let the beans cook for ten minutes (or less if you like them more crisp).

Remove the beans from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set them aside in your serving plate or bowl.  Cook down the tomato and wine liquid over high heat until it thickens, about 7 minutes. Serve the beans with the thickened sauce poured over them.

9/13/14

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountain-software.com)

Sopes with Baked Beans with Poblano Peppers and Tomatillo Salsa

A couple of weeks ago one of my favorite stands at the Green Market had beautiful tomatillos and Treasure Island had some gorgeous poblano peppers.

So I made a batch of tomatillo salsa.  I modeled it after the tomatillo pesto I posted about here, but I didn't look up the recipe and forgot the toasted walnuts and lime juice but it was just fine, and tasted great.  I thought it would go well with the Baked Beans with Poblano Peppers I posted about here, and to complete the dish I decided to make Oven Baked Sopes on which to serve them.

I felt like a genius for coming up with this winning meal and ate like royalty.  You can eat like royalty, too.  Just follow the links!

Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

I wanted to roast some cauliflower and was thinking about what spices I wanted to use.  I love it roasted with za'atar but had just made za'atr bread for a potluck dinner and had used it all for that.  I also like it roasted with cumin and coriander so I decided to go in that direction.  So I decided to go with a more Indian-spiced theme, but I wanted more than the cumin, coriander and turmeric combination I usually use with roasted vegetables so I basically pulled out the entire army of basic Indian spices.

The result was spectacular.  The spices blended together perfectly and provided a fresh, vibrant flavor to the cauliflower.  This is a dish that is sure to wow even the most jaded palate.

 Home Cookin Chapter: My Recipes

SPICED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

4 servings

1 large head cauliflower
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp amchur (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 425°F. and line a large baking dish with parchment paper.

Cut cauliflower into large florets and place into a large bowl. Add the salt and rest of the spices. Add the olive oil and mix well.

Spread the cauliflower out on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet on a middle rack in the oven and bake until the cauliflower is just soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Be careful not to overcook it.

8/24/2014

Exported from Home Cookin 8.58 (www.mountain-software.com)

Poached Fish with Tomato and Saffron

A few weeks ago I was talking with the fish guy at Whole Foods, as has become my habit.  I don't know all that much about cooking fish and have been reluctant to tackle it at home.  In the past, when I ate out more often, I would make a point of ordering fish whenever possible partly to avoid having to prepare it at home but still be able to enjoy it on a somewhat regular basis.

It is no surprise that I have so little experience with fish.  The only fish we had at home when I was growing up was canned salmon, canned tuna, and some solid frozen block of tasteless mush that seemed common in the '70s - halibut or haddock or something like that.  The canned tuna went into a pretty decent salad but the salmon went into an especially dreadful dinnertime nemesis of mine:  the dreaded salmon croquette.  And the block of fish ice went into the oven as is and then was splashed with lemon juice (bottled) just before serving.  It was pretty disgusting.  Like most children in America, the only fish I truly liked was fish sticks, and that was mainly as a vehicle for tartar sauce.  As an adult, that morphed into a love for breaded fried fish and that was pretty much it for me.

These days I eat all kinds of fish - fried, grilled, broiled, poached; even raw.  It took some getting used to, but I love sushi and tuna tartare.  Basically, if someone else is preparing it for me, I love all fish.

Sadly, however, these days the only way I'm likely to have fish is if I prepare it myself.  The first technique I learned was how to broil it; mostly salmon and the occasional tilapia.  To my mind, there is little finer in the world than a nice piece of salmon seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and dill and broiled just to the barest hint of doneness.  Whenever I wanted fish I would hope that the salmon or tilapia looked good and if it didn't I would change my dinner plans.

I've been looking to expand my repertoire, both with techniques and with kinds of fish, and I found a recipe I had pulled out of Bon Appetit a while ago for poached cod with tomato and saffron.  I decided to try it on some cod I had finally mustered the courage to purchase, and was pleased with the results.  So pleased that I started looking for opportunities to purchase firm white-fleshed fish so I could practice some more, and fiddle with the recipe as is my wont, and poaching has become a staple in my repertoire.

There have been a few occasions when I was browsing the fish department when I ran across paiche .  I had never heard of it before, so I asked what it was.  Turns out it is a large white-fleshed fish native to the Amazon that has barely changed from the Miocene epoch thousands of years ago.  All I knew was that it looked good so I brought some home with me.  It made for a most flavorful dish.

This recipe is quick and easy, and only takes about half an hour from start to finish.  It is a perfect dinner for those nights when you want something special but don't have a lot of time or energy for anything complicated.

Home Cookin 8.58 Chapter: Meat Fish and Eggs

POACHED FISH WITH TOMATO AND SAFFRON

2 servings

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced - OR - 1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced - OR - both
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper, or to taste (or red chili flakes)
1 to 2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
pinch of saffron threads
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 5-oz. skinless firm-fleshed fish fillets

Drop the saffron threads in 1/4 cup of warm water and let steep while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and/or onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is just translucent. Do not let it color.

Add the Aleppo pepper and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the saffron water, wine and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper,

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Season the fish and place it in the skillet. Cover the skillet and let the fish simmer until it is opaque and starting to flake, 10 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the pieces.

Serve the fish in shallow bowls with the poaching liquid spponed over it.

Adapted from http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/poached-cod-with-tomato-and-saffron

exported from Home Cooking 8.58 (www.mountain-software.com)

Sweet and Sour Lentils

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post.  I wish I could say it's because I've been whipping up a storm in the kitchen, but that is not the case.  I am cooking, just not a whole lot that's new.  For some reason I am not feeling too inspired.

Although part of the reason is that I have become thoroughly and totally obsessed with sourdough.  I hope to start sharing what I have discovered soon, but it has been six months and I feel like I've just barely broken the surface of what is possible, and have barely come up for air to work on other things.

But as always, there have been moments when I have felt the need to try something new.  And that is just what I did a few weeks ago.  I have been fascinated by a recipe for Sweet and Sour Lentils in one of my favorite cookbooks for years now.  I could not imagine a successful integration between the ubiquitous Chinese restaurant entree and the earthly legume.  I would pass over it as I thumbed through the book looking for ideas, but then invariably I would turn the page back, look over the recipe, and wonder how it would taste.

My curiosity finally got the better of me, and pineapples were on sale at the grocery store, so it seemed like a good time to give it a try.  But I also had a glut of apricots from the Green City Market that were in serious danger of going bad before I could use them so I thought why not use apricots instead of pineapple?  Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of pineapple and I figured apricots have a similar flavor profile of sweet and tart so I might as well go for it.

The result?  A surprisingly delicious blend of flavors that should not necessarily work together but do.  In addition to substituting apricots for the pineapple I did a little tweaking here and there and came up with something truly delicious.

I have always had trouble making lentils look good, so I don't know how appealing this looks but I can tell you, it is quite tasty and I will definitely be making it again.  It is perfect for a workday lunch.

Home Cooking Chapter: My Recipes

SWEET AND SOUR LENTILS

6 servings

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and soaked in water to cover for 1 to 2 hours
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 to 5 fresh apricots, diced
2 Tbsp garlic ginger paste (or 1 Tbsp each minced ginger and minced garlic)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sherry
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp ketchup
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp warm water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil, or to taste

Drain the soaked lentils, then place them in water to cover and cook until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for a few seconds, then add the apricots. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, stirring frequently. Add the lentils, vinegar, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, Tabasco sauce and ketchup and bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine the cornstarch and warm water in a small bowl, then whisk the mixture into the lentils. Lower the heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more, until the mixture has thickened.

Remove from the heat and add the sesame oil and give it one last stir. Serve over rice.

adapted from Jessica's Sweet and Sour Lentils recipe in Lean Bean Cuisine: Over 100 Tasty Meatless Recipes from Around the World, by Jay Solomon (Prima, 1994)

Exported from Home Cookin 8.58 (www.mountain-software.com)

Pasta alla Carbonara

One of the things I loved most about living in a large house with four other women was the different cooking backgrounds and skills each one of us brought to the table (pun intended).  This was years ago in Austin, and we did not have the ready access to information that we have today.  But we all worked at the Public Library, so we at least had access to a vast physical database of information.  The kitchen was large enough to house two refrigerators (and a washing machine!), so space was not an issue and our schedules were different enough that we were each able to do our thing mealwise without getting in anyone's way.

We mostly cooked and ate for ourselves during the week, but on weekends we would usually cook and eat together, along with any friends who happened to be around.  And there were always friends hanging around, as we had four acres of land, a covered basketball court, a swimming pool, and a trampoline available to us.  (Yes, that was one sweet deal.)

And one of the meals that a housemate cooked for us was Spaghetti alla Carbanara.  We all watched with horror as she dumped the cooked pasta into a bowl full of raw eggs, stirred it all together, and then expected us to actually eat it!  But once plated it did not look at all disgusting, and smelled really good, so we stuck our forks into it and gave it a taste.

And oh my gosh was it delicious!  Creamy and smoky and luscious.  I never forgot that dish, but I never made it myself.  Now that I have been making my own pasta I am constantly on the lookout for new and different things to do with it.  I didn't have much in the house in the way of vegetables (don't pretend that's never happened to you) and I needed a quick dinner.  I did have some bacon in the freezer and I always have Parmagiana Reggiano and eggs on hand, so I decided it was time I tried to recreate the dish I had enjoyed so many years ago.

And it was just as good as I remembered it.  Better, in fact, because the bacon was applewood smoked, the pasta was freshly made, the black pepper was freshly grated, and the cheese did not come out of a can.  In a word, perfection.

It might not look all that great in the picture.  I try to make my photos look pretty, but I can't always manage it.  And to be honest, it's not a high priority for me.  I know that we eat with our eyes, but I'm more interested in how my food tastes than how it looks.  If I had had parsley (or any fresh herbs for that matter), I would have garnished and it would have looked that much better.  And I guess it would have tasted better too, so if you plant to make this, especially for company, do be sure to get some while you are shopping for the rest of the ingredients.  But I can assure you I was not at all mourning its absence while I was eating it.

And I just noticed this - if you look closely at the photo you will see little bits of yellow in the mix.  I forgot that I had a little bit of yellow pepper that I diced and cooked up with the bacon.  It's not traditional, but it tasted good and kept me from having to throw away food.

Home Cookin Chapter: My Recipes

PASTA ALLA CARBONARA

4 servings

4 oz bacon diced
12 oz fresh tagliatelle, linguini, or papardelle
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, plus extra for garnish
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Heat a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Combine the eggs and water in a small bowl and beat together with a fork, then set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium high heat in a skillet until crisp. Do not remove the bacon from the fat, but remove all but a tablespoon of the drippings.

When the water starts to boil add a generous amount salt and then the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Immediately add the bacon with its drippings and the egg to the pasta while it is still hot and toss well, until the pasta is completely covered with the egg and cheese.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with more cheese and the parsley.

2/21/2011

Pasta with Asparagus and Zucchini

This is a lovely little dish I like to trot out when asparagus and zucchini are in season.  It is especially good with fresh pasta, although dried will do the job if that is all you have available.

This recipe falls under my ongoing attempts to practice the theory that "less is more."  When the ingredients are fresh, there's no need for excess herbage and seasoning.  All you really need to do is find a simple way to highlight the main ingredients.  This recipe does exactly that and is quick and easy.  You can have dinner on the table in about half an hour.

Home Cookin Chapter: My Recipes


PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND ZUCCHINI 4 servings

1 lb fresh long pasta
1 batch of asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup sauvignon blanc or other white wine
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil.  When it is boiling, add salt and the asparagus and zucchini and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove them from the water and plunge them immediately into cold water.  Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute it for a few minutes, until translucent.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the wine and let it cook down for a minute.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and let it cook for about 2 to 3 minutes if using fresh (about a minute less than the designated cooking time - if using dried pasta adjust cooking time accordingly).

Add the asparagus and zucchini to the onions and cook until heated through.  When the pasta is done, reserve about a cup of the pasta water and drain, then add the pasta to the asparagus and zucchini in the skillet.  Cook for 2 more minutes, mixing everything together and adding pasta water as necessary.

Remove from the heat.  Serve immediately garnished with  parsley and cheese.

04/06/2013

Exported from Home Cookin 7.50 (www.mountain-software.com)