Spicy greens growing in my garden...


A super simple, garden friendly side or main dish for anytime of year are these lovely savory pancakes. I sauteed a couple of cups of finely chopped and grated mixed produce, and stirred it into a small batch of pancakes -- just ordinary pancakes. And then fried silver dollar sized cakes to serve with tamari, or yogurt, or sour cream, or mushroom gravy, or nothing at all...
We had them with a spicy lemongrass and hot pepper marinated pork loin. Perfect. Great for camping, too. And a nice way to use up the little odd bits that might have been gathered in the garden or are left in the vegetable bin.

Veggie Pancakes
1.25 cups dry pancake mix (I used Peace Pancakes mix, soon to be available at the Chez, but any mix will do. I would avoid the overly sweet.)
1 egg
1 T. olive oil, plus more for frying
Sufficient water to make a medium to thin pancake batter (start with one cup of liquid)
2 cups finely chopped or raw veggies of your choice

I used shiitake mushrooms, serrano peppers, scallions, onion, broccoli, grated carrot, grated ginger and minced garlic, and I sauteed them.
I also left the batter to sit for 30 minutes to develop, while I chopped, grated and sauteed the vegetables. It allows the natural sugars to develop, resulting in a more attractively browned pancake.

Hiya! As I promised at the Energy Fair, here are some recipes and recommended readings. Check back for more book listings. This is just a sampler to get you started. Remember that recipes are just starting points. Use your own best judgment and listen to your senses while you cook. And thanks for stopping by!

Books
World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey
The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco by Paula Wolfert
Mediterranean Grains and Greens by Paula Wolfert
The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert
Simple French Food by Richard Olney
Lulu's Kitchen by Richard Olney
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
Lidia's Family Table by Lidia Bastianich
Italy in Small Bites by Carol Field
The Italian Baker by Carol Field
Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni
Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni
Indian Regional Classics by Julie Sahni
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji

Scarpaccia
adapted from Carol Field's Italy in Small Bites
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 T. olive oil pllus 2 additional T. of olive oil
1 1/3 cup water or milk (I use water)
1 egg
8 oz. of whatever (grated zucchini*, sauteed scallions, fresh herbs, minced garlic, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, well drained blanched chard... the mind boggles)
Freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 450F.
If using zucchini, salt and set aside in a colander to drain for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze dry of excess moisture.
Whisk flour and salt together. Add water, egg and olive oil and mix. Add zucchini or other element of your choice.
Put 1 T. of olive oil in each of two 9- or 10-inch pie plates. Rub the oil up the sides of the plate. It will seem like a lot of oil, but that's as it should be.
Divide the batter between the plates, cover with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 425F. and bake an additional 10 minutes or so, until set, spongy and slightly browned along the edges. Serve in triangles or wedges as an appetizer or light lunch with salad.

Tabboulleh
1 cup bulgur
1 to 1 1/2 cups hot water (cold can be used as well)
The freshly squeezed juice of one lemon

Combine the bulgur, 1 cup of the water and the lemon juice.
Let soak until the bulgur is tender and has absorbed the water. Test it as it soaks. You might want to add more water. Likewise, when all is said and done, you may need to drain it if you've added too much water.
While the bulgur soaks, chop vegetables.
Choose from what's fresh and available, keeping in mind that tabboulleh is largely an herb salad.
Traditional choices would include a very large bunch of parsley and a handful of fresh mint. Cilantro would not be out of place.
Vegetable choices can include anything, really, but I like to use cucumber, zucchini, scallions, onion, garlic, tomatoes, grated carrots, blanched broccoli, grated kohlrabi and occasionally a pine nut or two might find its way into the salad, too.
When the bulgur has cooled and is properly moistened, add the vegetables, plenty of salt, olive oil to moisten to taste, and some spice of choice. A hint of cinnamon is pleasant and surprising, as is plenty of ground cumin. Garam masala is also a fine addition.

From the New York Times... with my notes following.

Simple Heritage Roast Turkey

Time: 2 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on size of turkey

1 12-to 18-pound heritage turkey such as a Bronze or Bourbon Red, thawed, with giblets and neck removed

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper

4 tablespoons butter, cut into four pieces

1 medium onion, quartered

2 stalks celery, cut in two or three pieces each

1 medium apple, halved

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups turkey broth, water or a mixture of half water and half apple juice.

1. At least four hours before roasting, rub turkey inside and out with salt and pepper; refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 45 minutes before roasting. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Set turkey in roasting pan fitted with a V-shaped rack. Slip your fingers under skin to loosen it. Rub butter over breasts. Stuff vegetables, apple and thyme into cavity. Tuck wingtips under bird.

3. Pour broth or water into pan, around bird. Put turkey in oven and roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325, baste turkey with pan juices, cover with a foil tent and return to oven. Cook for another 30 minutes. Remove foil, baste again and place foil back on turkey. Cook for 30 more minutes. Remove foil.

4. When turkey has roasted for a total of two hours, insert a meat thermometer straight down into fleshiest part of thigh, above where it meets the drumstick. Check a second spot, then remove thermometer. (Do not let thermometer touch bone.) Thigh meat should reach no more than 165 degrees. Juices should run clear. (If bird is larger than 14 pounds, keep foil on longer and begin checking meat temperature at two and half hours.) To assure perfectly cooked white and dark meat, you may remove bird when meat thermometer shows thigh temperature at 155, then remove legs and roast them separately for another 15 to 30 minutes, depending on size of bird.

5. When bird has reached desired temperature, remove from oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes, covered in foil and with a damp towel on top of foil, to retain heat and allow juices to return to meat. Remove foil and towel and serve.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

My notes:
I absolutely recommend the use of a digital thermometer here, and cooking to an internal temperature of 165 F. You can get the thermometers cheaply at Fleet Farm or KMart and they're worth every penny for making the best of your pricey organic or heritage turkey.

If your bird has a thick skin and a heavy layer of fat, you don't need to be as fussy about basting as this recipe is. Unless you enjoy fussing over the bird (like I do).

If you stuff the bird, and this is important, after the initial searing of the bird at 425, lower the heat to 300 instead of 325, and plan on cooking it longer. You'll want to temperature probe the stuffing as well as the thick part of the thigh to make sure that everything has cooked safely.

Bon appetit!
b.

Breadhenge, originally uploaded by bonnimiller.
The Chez kitchen, just left of the range.

Updated August 25th, 2007

Stuffed Deepfried Zucchini Blossoms

Use only very fresh blossoms. They'll close shortly after they're picked, which is fine. Rinse them well, checking around the outside base of the flower for imbedded dirt. Gently pry the flower open and rinse the inside, pinching out the reproductive organs (sounds nasty when I say it that way, doesn't it?) -- you know, the pistils and stamens and all that business. Check for ants (ants love zucchini flowers). Set them aside to drain between paper towels and, if you're not using them right away, roll them gently into the towels and store in plastic bags in the refrigerator. But plan on using them soon.

Cut cheese (fontina is very nice) into small cubes about the size of a fingertip, one for each blossom. Set a couple of inches of oil in a heavy pan for frying and heat it until it shimmies a little in the pan (325 to 350 F.). Prepare a simple fritter batter (I prefer a tempura batter -- recipe follows) and put a cup or so of flour in a soup plate for dredging.

Gently open the side of a blossom and insert the cheese. Dredge the stuffed blossom in flour, then dip in the batter and fry quickly, turning once. If you fry it too long the cheese will escape into the hot fat. It's not the end of the world if a little leaks out, but don't walk away from the stove. Skim them out to drain on paper towels, salt them, and eat them while they're hot.

I wish I'd taken photos of the finished product, but we ate them all right away. I'll make more...














Tempura batter:
One egg yolk
One cup ice cold water
Half to one cup flour (all-purpose, unbleached)
ice cubes
chop stick

Make only just before you intend to fry. Batter doesn't hold well.

Separate the egg and drop the yolk into a four cup mixing bowl (I use a four-cup liquid measure cup)
Muddle the yolk a bit with the chopstick and then add the water. Stir a few times with the chopstick. We're using the chopstick because this should be just barely mixed and the chopstick is a very inefficient mixing tool.
Add a half cup of the flour and just barely mix. You want a thin batter but not a watery one. The consistency of half and half as opposed to heavy cream. Add flour, barely mixing it (you want lumps of flour to remain on the surface of the water). I almost never use the whole cup of flour but it will depend on the freshness of the flour.
Add a handful of ice cubes to the batter (very useful if you think you might have added a bit too much flour, and it keeps the batter good and cold).


Watermelon Agua Fresca

Deseed and puree one red icebox watermelon. I don't think the yellow watermelons have enough flavor and the seedless watermelons are a crime against melons in my opinion.
You should have about a quart of puree. Add a quarter cup of superfine sugar (or to taste) and the juice of one or two limes depending on the tartness of the melon.
You want to be careful with the sugar, even if you've got a tart melon, because too much sugar can deaden the flavor of the melon. If it's particularly tart, try adding just a pinch of salt to round out the flavor before you add more sugar.
Do I need to mention that a shot or two of vodka in this makes for a very nice summer cocktail?




Updated August 18th, 2007

Tomato Pie
(from More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin, adapted from a recipe by Mary O'Brien
of the Chaiwalla Tea Shop in Salisbury, Connecticut)

Double biscuit-dough crust: use your own favorite recipe or the following one

Blend by hand or processor:
2 C flour
1 stick butter
4 tsp baking powder
approx. 3/4 C milk

Roll 1/2 dough out and fit into 9" pie pan

Tomatoes:
Use either 2 pounds of peeled fresh tomatoes,
sliced thin or two 28 oz. cans of good canned
tomatoes, drained and sliced thin.

Lay over crust and scatter with chopped
basil, chives, or scallions.

Grate 1 1/2 C of sharp Cheddar cheese and
sprinkle 1 C over the tomatoes.

Drizzle 1/3 C mayonnaise thinned with 2
Tablespoons lemon juice and cover with the
remaining 1/2 C of cheese.

Roll out the remaining crust and fit over the
top, sealing the edges together. Cut steam
slits.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Can be made ahead and reheated at 350 till melty.

When I make this pie, I prefer to layer a bit of cheese in first, before the tomatoes, to insulate the crust from the juices. It's a somewhat futile exercise, but I keep doing it anyway. --b.


Updated July 17th

Pork Sausage with Potatoes and Red Wine Vinaigrette
(adapted from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells)

This makes a delicious and simple lunch for 4 people. Or serve with roasted beets,
or corn on the cob, or fresh steamed green beans, and some nice bread or biscuits for a summery dinner.

2 pounds kielbasa or garlicky ring bologna
2 pounds of new potatoes, scrubbed and trimmed, peeled if you want
several fresh or dried bay leaves
several sprigs of celery leaves

Red Wine Vinaigrette
(use store bought or make your own using this recipe, if you want)
1 cup of fruity red wine
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt
pepper (preferably freshly ground)

Fresh parsley or chives for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine the sausage, potatoes, bay leaves and celery and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, until the sausage and potatoes are cooked through (maybe 20 minutes).

While the potatoes, etc., are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Pour the wine into a large saucepan and reduce to 1/4 cup over high heat. Remove from heat. Add the oil and vinegar and whisk to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain and cut the potatoes and the sausages into thin even rounds. Arrange on a platter in any way that is pleasing to you and drizzle with the warm vinaigrette.
Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.


Pennsylvania Dutch Green Beans
6 slices of bacon
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. dry mustard
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. vinegar
1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and cooked (either steamed or boiled)
1 cup water, preferably from the water that you cooked the beans in

Slowly fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan. Fry the onions in the bacon fat. Meanwhile, mix together the cornstarch, salt, mustard, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl.
Add the water and stir well to combine. Add this to the bacon fat and onions in the pan, and stir until thickened. Add the beans and stir well. Serve with the bacon crumbled on top.


Updated July 11th

Zucchini Pickles
Easy, and delicious. Very much like a bread and butter pickle.

4 lbs. young tender zucchini, cleaned and sliced about 5/8 inch thick
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 T. mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
8 whole cloves
1 T. ground mustard
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar

Put the zucchini and onions in a colander and toss with the salt. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the zucchini starts to sweat and wilt.
Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
Put the zucchini into a container that you can seal, like a tupperware container, and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Let it marinate together in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.


Updated around June 15th

Braised Spring Vegetables with Cornmeal Dumplings
adapted from the New York Times and Melissa Clark

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 thyme sprigs (optional)
• Pinch of sugar
• Kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced with a pinch of salt
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed of roots and with a measure of the greens cut off, but leave as much of the green part on as you'd care to eat -- probably at least a few inches. If they're large, you can cut them in half, lengthwise, for a dramatic look.
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (preferably red), leaves torn into bite-size pieces, stems cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas (about 1 pound in the shell)
• 1 small head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (optional)
• 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving at the table

Cornmeal-herb dumplings (see recipe), or prepared polenta or buttered noodles.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until sizzling. Add radishes and cook on one side until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn radishes and cook for 3 minutes more, still over high heat. Transfer to a bowl.

Add oil to the pan and stir in the onion, thyme, sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes (reduce the heat if it starts to burn). Add garlic and stir, cook for just 30 seconds. Add the scallions, if they're cut, then cut-side down; cook until light golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and boil, stirring, for 2 minutes.

3. Toss in asparagus, chard stems, sugar snap peas and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Toss in chard leaves, peas and lettuce; season with more salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cheese. You should have a brothy, silky, fragrant dish. Do not drain. Serve with dumplings (recipe follows), polenta or noodles.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Cornmeal-Herb Dumplings

• Salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, more if needed
• 2 large eggs, beaten.

1. Bring a very large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and the herbs, buttermilk and eggs in another. Stir the wet into the dry until just combined into a very thick batter (if it is doughlike, add more buttermilk).

2. Drop batter a teaspoonful at a time into boiling water. Simmer until cooked through (cut one open to test it), about 15 to 20 minutes. This will take longer if your dumplings are large. Turn off heat and let dumplings rest in cooking liquid until ready to use, up to an hour or until they start to fall apart.

Makes 6 servings.


Pea and Mint Couscous
Adapted from Epicurious.com

• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fresh peas
• 2/3 cup couscous
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring water to a boil with salt. Add the peas and return water just to a boil. Stir in couscous and cover pan. Immediately remove pan from heat and let couscous stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in mint, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. A drizzle of olive oil wouldn't be unwelcome, either.

Makes enough as a sidedish for two, or a quick light lunch for one.

If you haven't any mint, you can substitute basil or dill.


Broccoli and Whole Grain Salad

• 1 bunch broccoli, cleaned and cut up and cooked well
• 1 cup cooked whole grains (leftover Kashi mix is excellent)
• 1 can (or 1 1/2 cups) cooked white beans, well drained (rinsed, too, if you're using canned beans)
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1 clove or more of minced fresh garlic
• 1 cup (more or less) of fresh cucumber chunks
• at least 1/4 cup of good flavorful olive oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh basil, cut into fine strips (chiffonade)

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, folding it all together, adding olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temp.


Potato Leek Soup

You'll need four young leeks (or two gigantic old ones), three pounds of new yukon gold potatoes or other fine-fleshed spuds, a quarter cup of heavy cream, salt, pepper and four tablespoons of sweet unsalted butter.
Trim the leeks, slice them up and give them a good rinse in the colander to flush away any lingering soil. Peel the potatoes, cut them into bite sized pieces and cover them with water.
In a four quart soup pot, heat two tablespoons of the butter until melted. Slowly cook the leeks until they are tender and melting. Stir them frequently and keep the heat low ~ leeks have lots of sugar in them and will burn if you turn your back on them.
When tender, add the potatoes and their soaking water to the pot, along with a pinch or two of salt, and raise the temperature to let it all come to boil. Once the soup has begun to bubble, reduce the heat to a simmer and let the potatoes cook until tender and just beginning to crumble a bit around the edges.
Add the cream, the last two tablespoons of butter, taste for salt and serve with a grinding of fresh pepper over the top.


Chez Beans

The beans that we top all our huevos, burritos, etc. with are made thusly...
In a heavy pan, heat two tablespoons olive oil. Add a handful of chopped onions, the same of chopped green peppers, the same of chopped celery and a pinch or two of salt. Saute until crisp-tender. Add minced garlic to taste, a generous amount of ground cumin, a smidge of oregano and a pinch of thyme. Stir. Add one quart of cooked beans with their cooking juices. Stir and simmer. Taste for salt and grind an outrageous amount of black pepper over all.


Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

For this recipe you will need a mortar and pestle. We use one purchased from the Asian Market on Hwy 66: A gigantic Thai mortar and pestle, made from brown clay.
Take fiery hot peppers and chop them coarsely. Peel and chop (not too fine) a clove or two of fresh spicy garlic. Toss peppers and garlic into mortar. Add a tablespoon of sugar. Grind well. Add a quarter cup of rice wine vinegar, the juice of one lime, and two tablespoons of fish sauce. Mix. Sauce should taste hot, salty, sweet and sour. Adjust seasonings, but beware the sugar. It can deaden the sauce.
Use the sauce everywhere. Over stir fried vegetables, on noodle salads, for dipping batterfried fish into It's very versatile.

Braised Dandelion Greens

Nipped from a book called "Eat Like A Wild Man," edited by Rebeccca Gray. The recipe originally appeared in Sports Afield in April of 1987 and was from J.A. Pollard. I've rewritten it a little bit to make it more readable -- b.

Place freshly washed greens in a large kettle and cover. The amount of moisture left from washing should be enough to cook them, but check periodically, so they don't burn. Braise them for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on their age, turning them with a fork. They must be al dente to be good. When they're done, turn them out onto a cutting board, cut them into wedges and place on a platter. Dress them with any vinaigrette (J.A. recommends freshly squeezed lemon juice, virgin olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and any herb you fancy, which sounds pretty good to me). Or serve them with a natural soy sauce and lemon juice.


French Dandelion Salad

You can also make a delicious salad with young tender dandelion greens. Dress them in a lemony vinaigrette and top with fresh in-season herbs, a poached egg, and black olives.


Pig Weed Dreams

I woke up today after dreaming about picking pig weed, also known -- more romantically -- as Lamb's Quarters. It grows wild all over Wisconsin.
This is how I cooked it in my dream, which is to say, this is how I always cook pig weed. When I cook it. Mostly I just nip bits of it while I'm weeding it out of my gardens.

Mince a bit of last fall's Russian Rose garlic that overwintered so well in the pantry. Clean and shake the excess water off a bagful of freshly picked Lamb's Quarters. Heat a bit of olive oil or butter in a skillet and add the greens, stirring and turning them over until they wilt and take on a sheen from the oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring and turning, just a minute or two more. Just long enough to make the garlic fragrant. Shake a dash of rice wine vinegar over it and serve.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

This is a plug for my favorite Asian market in Stevens Point. It's on highway 66, west of highway 39 (old 51), next to and behind a dry cleaner/laundry. It's called the Asian American Market and it's full of all kinds of treasures. Hmong ginger sausages, whole asian-dressed chickens (with the feet and all still attached), a remarkable variety of frozen fish, dried beef, fresh produce, and all manner of sauces and pickles and other seasonings -- it's all reasonably priced, especially when you treat it as a cheap vacation, like I do. Plus it has housewares and gifts: I spied a monstrous mortar and pestle for very little money, and steamers, and Thai rice pots, and an amazing array of inexpensive, colorful, lightweight dishes and trays. There's wind chimes and wall hangings, candy and snacks, and some health and hygiene items in a glass case that I'm too cowardly to ask them about, but it's all fascinating and new and I just love going there.

If you go, be sure and try one of the Thai iced teas, which look -- there's no better way to describe them -- disgusting. But they taste wonderful. And you can skip the Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which is also delicious, but I can give you the recipe for it here because it's just so easy.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

coffee, preferably freshly ground
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 quart jar with lid

Brew really strong coffee, and when it's done brewing, take it off the heat and let it cool a bit. My French Press makes just the right amount. You're going to need about three and a half cups.

Pour half of a can of sweetened condensed milk* into a quart jar. Fill the jar to within an inch of the top with the coffee. Screw the lid on and shake until well blended, and chill. Serve over ice, or put the ice into the glass, fill with the coffee and dump it all at once into the blender and whirl on high until it's a big foamy iced slush. Delicious.

*Obviously, you'll have to make two batches of this to use up the can of milk, but you'll want to because it tastes so good.

Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice

4 cups cooked rice (1 1/2 to 2 cups raw)
4 cups cooked black beans, well drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups raw)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

Cook beans and rice separately, if you don't have them leftover already. Start heating the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. When hot but not smoking, add the onion and pepper and cook until tender. Add the rice, then the beans, and finally the cilantro and salt and pepper and serve. A person could add some chopped fresh hot peppers, too. And a spritz or two of lime juice wouldn't be out of place, either.
Leftovers of this could be mixed with tomato sauce and sweet corn and used to stuff peppers or other vegetables, and I like it in burritos, too.


Virtuous StirFry with Thai Tendencies

With all the excess of the holiday season, a simple stir fry really hits the spot, I think. This is just a guideline. I used what I had around the house. The only really important ingredient here is the napa cabbage -- or cabbage of any kind -- and lots and lots of it. The whole point for me was to get as many greens into the mix as possible.

1 large head napa cabbage (or bok choy or cabbage or chinese cabbage, etc.), sliced very thinly
1 medium white onion, sliced thin
1 sweet bell pepper (yellow pepper adds a sweet nuttiness to the dish that you won't get from the green pepper, but a green pepper would add a refreshing herbal quality that you won't get from a yellow sweet pepper -- take your pick)
a handful or two of broccoli florets for each person that you're cooking for
the juice of 1 lime
fish sauce or soy sauce to taste
chili garlic sauce or tabasco or red pepper flakes, if heat is desired
toasted sesame oil (optional)
Rice vermicelli, buckwheat soba noodles, or rice, or wild rice, or cooked barley, or whatever cooked grain you prefer to eat this over
chopped white and green parts of three to six scallions

Assemble ingredients and start the water for the pasta or get the grains cooking. The stir fry vegetables will only take about twenty minutes so time things accordingly.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy pan until very hot. Add the broccoli and stir fry, turning the broccoli regularly, for five minutes or so. I add a tablespoon or so of water here, and let the broccoli fry/steam until the water is cooked away, because I like broccoli crunchy, but not rock hard. Then remove the broccoli from the pan and add the onions and pepper.

Cook until the onions are tender and things are begining to brown a bit on the edges. Remove from pan. Add another tablespoon of oil, if needed, and add the cabbage to the pan. Cook, stirring, over the highest heat you can coax out of your stove, I mean really turn the flame all the way up as high as it will go, for at least a minute anyway, until the cabbage is beginning to wilt and brown on the edges. It should be bright green in color.

Return the cooked vegetables to the pan. Traditional Thai cooking would entail adding a pinch of sugar to the dish and by all means do that if you want to. But I am being virtuous here, and avoiding it. Add fish or soy sauce to taste, and follow suit with the chili garlic sauce or other heat if you're using it, and add the lime juice. Toss and set aside for minute, uncovered.

Cook your noodles now, if you haven't already. They won't take more than a few minutes. Whichever starch you've picked to serve this over (and my favorite is either the buckwheat noodles or the wild rice), season it with a bit of fish or soy sauce and some dashes of toasted sesame oil, if you've got it. Serve all immediately with chopped scallions to sprinkle over the top.

Additions or substitutions would include mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, chard or kale, celery, daikon, celery root, belgian endive, walnuts, pea pods, string beans, bean sprouts, cooked adzuki beans, etc.

Indian Rice Pudding with Cardamom (Kheer)
(From Indian Regional Classics by Julie Sahni)

Serves 4

2 cups whole milk
3 cups light cream (1/2 and 1/2)
1/4 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
2 T. coconut flakes
2 T. golden raisins for garnish
2 T. sliced almonds for garnish

1. Combine all the milk and cream in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over very low heat. Add the rice and simmer for one hour (it always takes me longer than this, and it will seem like several days), until the the rice is cooked and the milk has reduced and thickened. Stir in the sugar, cardamom, and coconut. (The pudding will keep, covered, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.)

2. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with raisins and almonds, or not.

Wisconsin Rice Pudding
This is very good with wild rice and dried currants or cranberries instead of raisins.

Leftover rice
enough milk and/or cream, mixed with some beaten eggs and real maple syrup, to cover the rice
A handful or two of raisins or other dried fruit

Mix all together and pour into baking dish and bake at around 300F. until done.


Savory Sweet Potato Pudding

4 or 5 large yams or sweet potatoes
1 or two large russet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream (or use more milk instead)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 or two bay leaves
a branch or pinch of rosemary leaves
a tablespoon of thyme
salt, pepper
1/2 a chopped onion or 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Peel and boil the cut up sweet potatoes in enough water to cover until very tender. Do the same with the white potato, in a separate pot.
In another pot, simmer the bay, rosemary and thyme in the milk and cream and butter. When the potatoes are done, and they should be very tender, mash them all together. Strain the milk mixture into the potatoes and whisk until smooth. The mix should be very liquid, like a thick applesauce. If it's not, add more milk. Set aside to cool a bit.
Beat the eggs and whisk into the sweet potato mix, and fold in the onions or scallions. Turn out into a buttered or oiled casserole dish and bake at around 350F., or whatever temp you've got your oven at, for 1/2 an hour or so or until puffed and golden on top.
If you wanted the dish to be more virtuous, and I'm very into virtue today, you could cook the herbs in apple cider instead of milk and cream, but don't scrimp on the butter. It will need that body to carry it off. You could substitute olive oil instead if you wanted, but I'd take care to make sure that it was a mild and fruity flavored olive oil, without a hint of bitterness.
Serves 8.


Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from a James Beard book -- I forget which one...
Serves 3 or 4 as an appetizer, or 1 or 2 mushroom lovers.

16 large snow white mushrooms with their stems
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (italian flat leafed parsley being much preferred)
1/2 of a medium to small sized onion, chopped very fine.
2 eggs
thyme
parmesan
2 to 3 t. butter

Wipe the mushrooms clean and remove the stems. Place the caps, bottom up, in a baking dish just big enough to hold them all.
Trim and chop the stems and fry them in the butter. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the fried stems and reserve the butter. Set stems aside. Whisk the eggs, add the bread crumbs, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the stems and chopped onion. Brush the caps with the butter that you fried the mushroom stems in. Divide the stuffing between the caps, and sprinkle with a little bit of parmesan. Pour a quarter cup or so of water or broth into the pan, taking care not to douse a mushroom. Bake in a 350 f. oven until browned and tender.

So many recipes, so little room. The following recipes are recipes from former seasons, all grouped together into one massive, monumental behemoth. Enjoy ....