Monthly Archives: September 2011

September 22, 2011 · 9:33 pm

Layered Quinoa “Ratatouille”: A Post in Pictures

Just a short, simple post today, as a send-off to my favorite season.   Life’s feels complicated right now, but I can’t help but feel gratitude for the bounty of my garden, and for my girlfriends who wined and dined with me while my other half was in Amsterdam on business for 11 days.  This meal was the perfect celebration of all of the above.  Without further ado…

Quinoa “Ratatouille”

Serves 8-10

Part roasted vegetable lasagna, part ratatouille, this end of summer dish is the perfect way to celebrate your last and best garden picks.  This is slow food–Don’t make it when you’re in a hurry.  Take the time to slow roast the tomatoes, letting them collapse into a complex, jammy sauce.  If you are running short on time, don’t have access to enough fresh tomatoes, or just don’t have enough oven space, follow the recipe for canned tomatoes. The eggplant, red bell peppers, squash and eggplant should be spotted golden on the outside, and will melt with buttery smoothness on the inside.  

For the Vegetables:

2 small eggplants (or 1 medium), cut into 1/4 inch sheets

1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch sheets

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch sheets

2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced into sheets

olive oil

kosher salt

For the Quinoa:

1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well and drained

3 cups water (scant)

2 small sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves

1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish (optional)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 recipe Slow-Roasted or Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce (see below)

Process

1)To ensure good timing, start making the slow-roasted tomato sauce first.

2) Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Place the vegetables in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and toss to coat.  Arrange the sliced red bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant in a single layer on two baking sheets.  Roast in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes.  Check the vegetables sporadically, as some will cook faster than others.  Remove pieces that are softened and specked golden, then allow the remaining vegetables to finish cooking.

  1. Place the washed quinoa and a scant 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  2. Stir the olive oil, herbs, parmesan (if using) and kosher salt into the quinoa.
  3. Reduce the oven heat to 375˚F.  Spread a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 11’’ casserole dish, followed by a layer of roasted vegetables, then the quinoa mixture.  Repeat in the same order–sauce, vegetables, and ending with quinoa, until all ingredients are used.  Sprinkle the top lightly with parmesan.
  4. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the sauce layers bubble and the top is golden in places.

Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Any type of ripe tomatoes can be used here, although paste tomatoes such as Romas or San Marzanos will yield a thicker sauce.  I prefer to use a mix of paste and slicing tomatoes.  To ease up the oven for roasting vegetables, make this sauce the night before and chill until needed.  

4 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes

6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife

1/2 cup olive oil

kosher salt

1) Preheat the oven to 325˚F.  Halve and core the larger tomatoes and remove most of the seeds.  Arrange the tomatoes face down in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets.  Place three smashed garlic cloves on each pan.  Drizzle each pan with olive oil (1/4 cup for each pan), and sprinkle generously with kosher salt.

2) Roast in the oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the tomatoes have collapsed, and released much of their liquid into the pan.  Check the tomatoes periodically, and if they begin to cook too quickly, turn the oven heat down.  Smaller tomatoes will take less time to roast.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Pull offthe skins from most of the larger tomatoes.  They should slip off easily.  If not, cook the tomatoes for longer.

3) Smash the tomatoes and garlic cloves with a wooden spoon until you have a semi-smooth sauce that still has some tomato texture.

Slow-Simmered Garlic Tomato Sauce

2 28-ounce cans good quality whole tomatoes

1 small head garlic, cloves peeled and minced

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt to taste

crushed red pepper flakes to taste

small bunch fresh oregano, leaves picked and chopped

Heat a few large glugs of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring frequently until the garlic is softened and is just barely beginning to turn golden.  Immediately add the canned tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook the sauce at slightly above a simmer for 35-45 minutes, occasionally stirring and crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Once the sauce has thickened and most of the tomatoes have broken down, season to taste with kosher salt, and add the crushed red pepper and fresh oregano.  Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

4 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes, Side Dishes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 18, 2011 · 7:35 pm

Roasted Tomatillo-Chile Negro Salsa for Canning

Every morning, I step into my flowered gardening boots, and take 23 steps to water 14 tomato plants growing along the back fence.  Luca follows me, alternately stretching and shaking out her bedraggled doggy bed-head, collar ringing and ears flapping.  She wanders around the yard, black nose deep in the grass, collecting dew.  She looks at me expectantly as I fill ditches around Brandywine, Celebrity, Cherokee Purple, Sungold, Roma, and Cherry tomatoes.  “Okay, Luca,” I say as I invite her to the hose.  She laps up the cool water happily in a rhythmic triplet pattern:  lap lap lap, lap lap lap.

I step over the mottled 8 ball zucchini leaves and butternut squash, as Luca zooms in erratic circles around the yard; a self-imposed morning exercise regimen involving sudden changes of direction, and athletic leaps over potted plants.  I breathe in the smells of late summer, tomato stems and fragrant herbs rubbed between my thumb and forefinger.  Luca slides onto the grass, collapsable legs spread frog-dog style while I pop a few cherry tomatoes, a purple green bean, and a baby dino kale leaf into my mouth–a pre-breakfast snack, my morning dose of vitamins.

The leaves on the tree in the front yard already know that it’s almost time.  The tomatoes feel it too–they’re slowing down, not ripening quite as quickly as they once did.  Fall wins me over with its charms year after year, but I always put up a fight. Luca is, as always, spunky and adaptable, happy just to be with her people, watching as I cook and preserve, waiting for tidbits of carrot or other wayward ingredients to fall her way.  Flopped on her belly, peering up through muppet fur, she’s kept me company through pickled cucumbers, peach barbeque sauce, spicy pickled carrots, crushed tomatoes, jam, and most recently, a batch of salsa to rival all my previous salsa-canning attempts.

This salsa bridges summer and early fall.  Tomatillos and tomatoes are at their best, plump and ready to be roasted with a variety of fresh hot chiles and onions.  When the tomatillos and tomatoes have shriveled and charred, filling the house with an irresistible aroma, it’s time to blend.  In go the lime juice, chopped cilantro, torn toasted chile negros, salt, and a couple “secret” ingredients.  My friend Karissa said, “There’s something special about this salsa, but I can’t tell what it is!”.  The clove and allspice aren’t immediately perceptible, but they round out the salsa.  The finished salsa boasts a mole-like complexity which can be eaten with tortilla chips, used as a base for Spanish rice broth, or warmed up over enchiladas or tamales.

Luca appears unamused, but only due to the fact that she doesn’t eat salsa.  She will however, keep following me from garden to kitchen 7 days a week, asking only for the occasional table scrap or belly rub in return for her faithful culinary companionship.

Roasted Tomatillo-Chile Negro Salsa

Makes about 7 pints

I adapted this recipe from my new favorite canning book, Canning for a New Generation, by Lianna Krissoff, and customized it using ***SAFE*** substitutions–that is, substitutions not affecting the acidity of the finished product.  If you’ve never canned before, take a look at a few of my favorite online canning resources here and here to learn how.  If you’d like to make the salsa without canning, or would like to can a smaller batch, the recipe can be halved.  To ensure safe canning, do not alter the proportions of ingredients.  

Ingredients:

•5 pounds tomatillos, papery husks and stems removed, rinsed (halve the larger tomatillos)

•2 pounds tomatoes, cut in half

•1 large white onion (8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

•4 ounces hot or mild fresh chiles, including 2 dried chiles negros

•10 medium cloves garlic, peeled

•1 1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh cilantro

•1 1/3 cups bottled lime juice

•2 tablespoons pure kosher salt, or to taste

•8 allspice berries

•2 cloves

Preheat the oven to 500˚F.

1) Prepare for Canning:

Wash and dry the jars and lids. Put the lids and rings in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Put the jars in a canning pot filled with water and bring to a boil to sterilize while you prepare the salsa ingredients.  Once the water in the pot comes to a boil, allow the unfilled jars to boil for at least 20 minutes before filling.  Place a folded towel, a damp paper towel, a canning funnel, and a jar lifter next to the stove.

2) Put the tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, fresh chiles and garlic in a single layer on two large rimmed baking sheets and roast for 25-35 minutes, or until charred in spots.  The tomatillos and tomatoes will be soft, collapsed, and leaking juices.  Allow to cool slightly before blending.

3) Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, toast the dried chiles in the pan until fragrant and beginning to blister. Flip to toast the other sides.

4) Working in batches, pureé the vegetables and their juices in a blender along with the chopped cilantro, cloves, and allspice.  Hold down the top of the blender with a towel to prevent the hot mixture from spurting.

5) Pour the puree into a large, non-reactive saucepan.  Stir in the lime juice and salt.  Bring to a boil.

6) Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids and rings.  Using a jar lifter, carefully remove a jar from the canning pot, and pour out the water back into the pot.  Place the jar on the folded towel, and ladle the hot salsa into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace (empty space at the top of the jar).  Wipe the rim of the jar with the damp paper towel, then put a flat lid and ring on the jar, tightening until just finger-tight.  Repeat with the remaining jars.

7) Return the jars back to the water, making sure that the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch.  Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes to process (at sea level), and an additional minute per 1,000 ft above sea level (I live at 5280, so I boiled for a extra five minutes).  Remove the jars to a folded towel and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.  After an hour, check to see if the jars have sealed by pressing down on the middle of the jar lid.  If it can be pressed down, it hasn’t sealed and should be refrigerated immediately.  Store the jars in a dark area.

15 Comments

Filed under Appetizers, Condiments

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

September 4, 2011 · 7:23 pm

Summer’s Not Over Yet Quinoa Tabouleh Salad

Summer vacation is over.  It was bound to happen at some point.  I’m back to wearing real shoes.  ”Big girl shoes”, as my co-worker at school calls them.  The days of my requisite summer uniform of flip flops and gardening boots, cotton skirts and ponytails are drawing to an end, although one wouldn’t know it, with the hundred-degree weather.  I feel it may be inappropriate to complain about the ending of a 2 1/2 month vacation, so I won’t, but allow me to regress, back to the month of July, hot in the middle of prime summertime fun!

Still in the midst of  summer vacation, the mister, his mom, and I drove Grand Mesa to visit the aunt and uncle at their summer cabin.  I was expecting rustic, but I never thought I’d be in an old forest service cabin from the 1800’s with a wood-burning stove, a claw-footed bubblegum-pink dining room table, and chock-full of antique dishes built up through the years, passed down and added-to by each generation.  For my aunt and uncle-in-law, the cabin is a beloved once-a-year get-away–a slowing of pace from their busy jobs in Mercer Island, WA.  They looked on with amusement as I snapped away at doorknobs, chairs, and other antiques.  For my new eyes, it was a photographic wonderland!

We only stayed for a long weekend, but felt like proud Coloradans, as we managed to bike, hike, row, ride ATVs, and photograph our way around the mesa.  At the end of each busy day, we buzzed around the kitchen, cooking on the wood-burning stove, snacking on cherries out of antique bowls.  Cornmeal-crusted trout, caught fresh from the lake one night, stir-fry and fried rice improvised from our combined resources the next. The third night, we made Moroccan lentil soup, and a fresh tabouleh salad, made with quinoa (because of my obsession with the grain, and also due to a gluten-free dietary needs in the group).

I first found this tabouleh salad in my Native Foods cookbook, and had a “duh, of course you can make tabouleh out of quinoa” moment.  Since then, I have tailored the recipe to fit my tastes.  Tabouleh is all about texture.  I like my tabouleh with plenty of chopped curly parsley, mint, green onion, and tomato, dressed in lemon, and of course, garlic.  After you make it a few times, you won’t really need a recipe.  Just throw in a little of this and a little of that, and tweak until your taste buds sing.

My big-girl shoes are begrudgingly on, but can you blame me for wanting to squeeze the last bit of fun out of summer?

Summer’s Not Over Yet Quinoa Tabouleh Salad

Inspired by the Native Foods cookbook

Makes 6 Servings

The art of making salads isn’t an exact science, and I’ve been known to add whatever is fresh and available…a garden cucumber, some diced avocado, or whatever else is around at the time.

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa (to yield 3 cups cooked quinoa)

1 bunch green onions (about 6), finely chopped

4 cups chopped curly parsley leaves (about 2 bunches)

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped (3-4 medium)

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Rinse the quinoa in cold water and drain well.  Place in a medium saucepan with a scant 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, or until a white ring is visible around each grain of quinoa, and the water in the pan has been absorbed.  If the quinoa looks cooked, but there is still moisture in the pan, uncover the pan and cook the quinoa over medium heat, stirring frequently for about a minute.  Set the quinoa aside, uncovered, to cool to room temperature.

Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.  Allow to sit while you chop the remaining ingredients.  The lemon juice will mellow the garlic as it sits.  

Place the cooled quinoa, chopped green onion, parsley, mint, and tomatoes in the large bowl with the lemon-garlic mixture.  Drizzle in the olive oil, and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

8 Comments

Filed under Salads, Side Dishes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,