CityMama™

Summer Pasta with Grilled Asparagus, Heirloom Tomatoes, and Avocado

This is one of those easy weeknight dinners for when you want a main dish and the veggie sides all in one. It's also a perfect way to use up half-full packages of pasta. Frozen grilled asparagus is a great veggie to keep stashed in your freezer. I love uncooked pasta sauces of all kinds, but this is one of my favorites. Simple, satisfying, and delicious. Best of all, ready in about 15 minutes.

• 1/2 a package of Tinkyada brown rice pasta spirals (or your favorite pasta)
• 2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 3/4 package of Trader Joe's frozen grilled asparagus, thawed, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 a Mexican avocado*, peeled and diced
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• a hefty drizzle of your fruitiest, grassiest, greenest, most flavorful extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsps shredded (not grated) pecorino Romano

Cook pasta in generously salted, rapidly boiling water 2 minutes less than package directions indicate (so it's al dente—we like it crunchy in the middle).

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, asparagus, avocado, garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste, mix gently and set aside. Note: be generous with the oil—it's making the sauce.

When pasta is finished cooking, drain and add to bowl with veggies. Toss gently, sprinkle with cheese and serve.  Also great at room temperature.

Serves 4.

*I was recently sent a basket of Mexican avocados to review (the kind that have the green skin that blackens as they ripen). I love that variety because they are creamy and mild, and because they remind me of Hawaiian avocadoes.

Crazy for pickles

My brother and I used to drink pickle juice straight out of the jar when we were kids, that's how much we love pickles. Happily, I have passed my pickle love on to my daughters. They especially have a fondness for Bubbie's Bread and Butter pickles. We can stand at the fridge plucking them right from the jar and shoving them into our mouths. Pickled vegetables, with their zing and zest, are just so satisfying. Love this video in which the owner of local (to me) pickle shop talks all things salt-pickle. Fascinating.

Vegan Chickpea, Carrot, and Potato Burrito Filling

A saute of chickpeas, carrots, diced white potatoes, and sliced Field Roast artisan vegan potato-apple sausage will be tucked into warm tortillas, topped with salsa verde, and devoured. Wish you could smell my house right now!

iPhone photo edited on the fly with the Camera Bag app using the Helga filter.

Summer Barley-Vegetable Salad with Meyer Lemon-Miso Dressing

One of my favorite grains is barley. I love its earthy, chewiness and that as a "sturdy grain" it lends itself beautifully to soups and salads. I also love grain salads whether made with quinoa, bulgur wheat, or cous cous (okay that's a pasta and not a grain but still) and so it follows that I would love barley salads as well.

There is nothing worse than an under-seasoned grain (or pasta) salad and I think the miso adds big, bold flavor without having to add a bunch of salt. Fresh herbs also add lots of flavor. This is one of my faves and it's the perfect sunny side dish for a spring or summer day.  I make a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge for weekday lunches and snacks.

• 2 cups of pearl (not flaked) barley, soaked overnight
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one Meyer lemon (about 2 tbsps)

Veggies/Legumes/Herbs: (a handful or so each, use all or some):

• chopped carrots
• chopped cucumber (I like the firmer Persian cukes)
• chopped celery (celery really goes well with this)
• chopped onion
• chopped green onion
• chopped tomato
• chopped broccoli florets
• chopped sugar snap peas
• 1 can of garbanzos, drained/rinsed
• minced fresh parsley
• minced fresh basil
• 1 clove of finely minced garlic and/or shallot

Dressing:

• 2 tbsps white (shiro) miso mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• fresh ground pepper

Drain the soaked barley and place in a pot with enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and dump into a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and lemon juice, toss and set aside. Chop veggies and add to bowl. Toss.

For the dressing: Put the miso into a bowl and add hot water. Whisk or mix with a fork until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk to combine. Add pepper to taste. Add dressing to barley and veggies and toss well.  Let sit at least 30 minutes to combine flavors before serving.  Keeps really well in the fridge for several days.

Photo taken with with my iPhone. I am part of the post-DSLR Revolution, are you?

Garlic Edamame Heaven

Not garlic edamame, but still delicious.

When I was in Honolulu for spring break we had dinner at Side Street Inn which has become a sort of "last night in Hawaii" tradition for me. Side Street looks like every sports bar/restaurant in any city in America. The thing that sets it apart is the delicious, anything-goes, local-style food. This is a sports bar that forgoes most of the usual sports bar fare. You won't find nachos here, but you will find other treats like broiled hamachi kama (when they have it), sublime deep-fried chicken gizzards, and passion-fruit-glazed ribs. And, yes, the most kickass chicken wings you've ever eaten.

I am never disappointed when we have dinner there and this time was no exception. In fact, we had eaten an entire dinner consisting of: steamed clams with Portuguese sausage, kalbi, kimchi fried rice, mixed poke (ahi and tako [octopus]), king crab legs, Caesar salad and macaroni salad all served family style, when for dessert, my brother ordered another order of the steamed clams.  They were that good.

But the dish that took the meal over the top was their garlic edamame. Try to see if you can imagine it: boiled, salted edamame (already delicious in their own right) tossed with tons of chopped garlic, melted butter (which made it heavenly), and olive oil (or just olive oil if you prefer) with just a hint of spiciness, finished with a squeeze of lemon.  Presented at the table they looked like green velvet dusted with snow from all the garlic. (Here's a photo that does not do it justice--there's just not enough garlic on this batch.) They were amazing.

Today I went out and got a bag of edamame with the intention of recreating the dish, when lo and behold, some quick Googling brought up Side Street's very recipe.  Their recipe makes a mountain, which is perfect for dinner parties (or one very ravenous party of 8).  If you make this I promise you will be addicted.  And you don't even have to go to Honolulu to taste them.

More Side Street Inn photos.

White bean soup with sauteed lacinato kale and veggies [my way]

This is how I do bean soups:

First I soak the beans over night, then I put them in a pot with their soaking liquid, bring it to a boil, skim any foam, reduce to a low simmer and cook until the beans are tender and most of the water has been absorbed (about an hour). They should be slightly dry and not yet soupy. Sometimes I add a ham hock or a Parmesan cheese rind and/or a bay leaf or two to flavor the beans while they simmer.  Then I remove anything added, season the beans and mash them lightly leaving some whole.

In a separate pan, I saute (in olive oil) whatever I am adding to the bean soup. Tonight it's a sturdy bunch of organic lacinato kale, sweet shallots, lots of garlic, garden carrots, and celery.  I cook the veggies until they are crisp-tender, then I season them as well.

To the bean pot I add more water or broth (3-4 cups) to make them soupy or as in the case of tonight, 3/4 of a box of no-chicken broth, then I dump the sauteed veggies into the soup, heat through, and serve. Don't cook too long or the kale (or spinach or chard or whatever you are using) will loose its deep green color.

Tonight's bean soup will be served with a a sprinkling of chopped fresh rosemary, a drizzle of special olive oil, and for the kids, a shaving of pecorino romano, but it's also wonderful topped with freshly toasted bread crumbs or caramelized onions or even a splash of sherry vinegar. You can even add a cup or two of al dente cooked short pasta to the soup for a warming bowl of pasta e fagioli. I love how verstile bean soups can be, whether "meatful" or vegan, it's always tasty.

Once the beans are soaked, the soup comes together fairly quickly.  It's done in about 2 hours (about an hour to cook the beans + 15-20 minutes to saute the veggies), but you don't have to watch the pot every minute.  Enjoy!

Thai Green Curry Veggies

Look at that colorful curry. Isn't it pretty? I make Thai green curry all the time, especially during the cold months of the year. They way I do it probably is not the way to make an authentic Thai green curry, but it's the way I make it (fairly quickly and easily with ingredients that aren't too hard to find), and it really satisfies.

First you need green curry paste. I buy this brand and I get it from my local Asian market. It looks like this (sometimes it comes in a plastic tub):

Then you need some of your favorite veggies:

Put the veggies in the curry and in about 10 minutes you have a pot of something spicy, warming, and delish. Here's how you do it:

THAI GREEN CURRY VEGGIES

Firm tofu is great in this, too. (So is chicken for that matter.)

• 1 onion sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• a little vegetable oil
• 3 tbsps of Thai curry paste (it is FIERY so if you want it milder add less)
• 1 can coconut milk (light okay)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• assorted veggies about 2 lbs-worth (I used green pepper, zucchini, colorful potatoes, green beans)
• fish sauce to taste
• basil (Thai if you can find it) to garnish

In a pot or pan (with lid), saute the onion and garlic in a little oil over medium heat until it's soft.  Add in curry paste and fry for a minute then add coconut milk and broth and bring to simmer stirring to dissolve the curry paste.  Add in veggies (longer cooking ones first then shorter cooking ones later or just dump 'em all in) and fish sauce to taste, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until veggies are tender.  Garnish with chopped basil before serving accompanied by jasmine white or brown rice on the side. Pass more fish sauce for those who like a salty kick.  Serves 4.

The beginning of so many great things

In this case, arrabiata sauce for penne. Wish you could smell my kitchen now...

How to: Bake an Acorn Squash (and what to do with it!) [NaBloPoMo Day 11]

Acorn squash stuffed with cous cous, garbanzos, raisins, orange zest, thyme and chives.

Now that it's Fall, one of the dishes I love cooking is baked acorn squash. Unlike summer squash, winter squashes aren't as waterlogged and gushy so they stand up to baking and still retain their sturdiness. Once they are baked anything goes.  You can:

• put a pat of butter in each, warm in the oven until melted, then serve.
• drizzle with honey or maple syrup, butter, and a grating of fresh nutmeg.
• sprinkle with gorgonzola, pancetta, and chopped fresh sage and bake until pancetta is crispy.
• slice and serve over a bed of spinach tossed with dried cranberries, walnuts, crumbled chevre, and warm vinaigrette.
• sprinkle with curry powder and drizzle with butter, bake 10 minutes, then serve.
• top with chopped chipotle chile en adobo and minced onion, bake 10 minutes, then serve.
• top with garlic and grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
• top with carmelized onions, thyme and prosciutto strips, bake until prosciutto is crisp.
• stuff with any grain (cous cous, quinoa, wild rice etc.) or a combination of cooked ground lamb and cooked rice, bake, serve.

I love it because it's so versatile and when stuffed, as I did it last night, it makes for a pretty and satisfying vegetarian main course.

BAKED ACORN SQUASH (a tutorial)

First, cut the squash in half (I used two to serve four people):

How to: Cook Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts [NaBloPoMo Day 9]

Howdy, folks. Today we're kicking off "How To" week here on CityMama.  I promised a tutorial every day this week and that's what you're going to get. If there is anything that I've written about that you have questions about and/or you'd like me to "show" you how to do it, please leave me a comment below. I don't pretend to be an expert, but I am pretty darn good at explaining things in an easy-to-understand way. And I promise to take lots of pictures. Which reminds me, my Sony a100  DSLR seems to have crapped out on me which is why recent pictures (taken with my point/shoot) may be even more mediocre than they usually are.

Last week we covered "Kitchen Gadgets Everyone Should Have." Granted, I am not a gadgety kinda girl, preferring to stick to tried-and-true kitchen basics (knives, graters, etc.), but there are some gadgets everyone should have either because they make a cook's job easier or they are just plain fun to use.

We're going to start this week off with a tutorial on how to make sweet and nutty Balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts. It's perfect for Fall and if you practice now, these could even make an appearance on your Thanksgiving table. My entire family loves these cute little cabbages and this is one of my favorite ways to make them. I know you've heard this a thousand times before, but even if you think you don't like Brussels sprouts (because the only way you've ever eaten them is boiled to death--a truly stinky preparation!), you'll like this. I think you will like this. Okay, even if you don't you should at least try it. Here's how it's done.

BALSAMIC-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Preheat oven to 400 deg. (If you have a convection oven, even better, preheat to 375 and reduce cooking time by about 10 minutes.) Wash and trim a pound of Brussels spouts by slicing off the dry stem and removing tough or dried-looking outer leaves. Cut sprouts in half and place on a baking tray: