Homemade Vegetable Stock

You know when you learn something new, and you can't wait to start telling everyone? When every mildly tangential story seems like the perfect segue? That's how I feel about this trick. With the tiniest change, you can create delicious homemade stock by simply repurposing previously wasted food scraps. 

Step 1: Put a one gallon ziplock bag in your freezer.

Step 2: As you prep vegetables, throw any and all left over scraps into the freezer bag. Buttersquash peels, brussels sprout bottoms, turnip nubs, soft carrots, ends of onions, etc. 

Step 3: Once the bag is full, empty the contents into a medium stock pot.  Cover generously with water, add two bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and gently cook for 1 hour. Season with salt if using right away, or hold off if saving for future use. 

Step 4: Strain and voila! Homemade veggie stock.  Split into separate servings, freeze the whole bag or if you are feeling very ambitious, freeze in ice cube trays for single use later on. 

Shabu, Shabu: Japanese Fondue

"... and our dinner party muscles atrophied."

I read that spot-on description of life post baby the year Hudson was born, and it hilariously resonated.  Entertaining can be a sport. A sport I love, but a sport none the less. Given the 100% increase in tiny people at our house this year, our muscles need training, and in recent months I've found just the regime.

Enter Shabu Shabu, or Japanese fondue.  Our guests do the cooking, and everyone wins.

There are four steps to a Japanese fondue party. 1) Make a killer dipping sauce, 2) Flavor a broth, 3) Boil rice noodles and 4) Set out mildly styled veggies and protein on platters.

Below you will see photos of two recent Shabu, Shabu* parties at our house.  I am getting back in shape!

Shabu, Shabu

Ingredients for 4

• Shabu dipping sauce (below)
• Shabu broth (below) 
• 8 oz of rice noodles, boiled per the package, rinsed in cold water and tossed with sesame oil
• Protein, on separate plates to pass around. 10 total pieces of protein a person. A combo of:
• 1/2 block of firm tofu cut up into squares
• 12 cleaned shrimp
• 8 Scallops
• 12 oz Thinly sliced sirloin pieces
• Vegetables
• 1/3 cabbage, loosely chopped
• 4 oz Mushrooms
• 1 head of broccoli, floret-ted

Shabu Dipping Sauce

Modified courtesy of Best Fondue
Combine:

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
• 1 glove chopped garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp chopped green onions
• Water to loosen

Shabu Broth

Bring the following ingredients to a boil, then simmer for 35 minutes before straining and transfering to a warm fondue pot at the table:

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 spring onions
• 1 diced tomato
• A handful of cilantro
• 2 shallots OR a white onion peeled and quartered
• A few tablespoons of grated ginger

*Shabu, shabu is named after the noise that broth makes while bubbling.  Repeat the name softly and you may just hear it. 

Coconut Milk French Toast

My New Year's Resolution was to start blogging again because I miss it so.  And really, when my life is this beautifully hectic, carving out a few minutes feels more critical (see Campbell here, he joined us in September and our hearts are singing!!).  

Since January, I have spent way too much time worrying about how I would explain my absence in this "I'm back" post, feeling guilty I had let so much time pass.  Then yesterday a best friend reminded me that guilt is an emotion we choose.  I can just be back. 

So I'm back, and I'm back with Coconut Milk French Toast because it has become a weekend favorite. I may not always have the time to do a full photo shoot on the SLR, but luckily for you the iPhone 6's new camera feature is pretty darn amazing. 

Coconut Milk French Toast with Apples & Nuts

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed 
• 6 - 8 slices of good bread
• 6 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil 
• 2 apples, cored and sliced into 8ths
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

• Whisk the coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, eggs and flax seed together in a shallow pan
• Melt two tablespoons of butter or coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and sautée the apples and almonds for 4 - 5 minutes, turning frequently so as not to burn.  Remove from the pan to cool
• Soak both sides of as many pieces of bread that will fit in the same pan in the coconut egg mixture
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter/coconut oil per two slices of bread in the same pan, and when just bubbling, lay your french toast
• Let cook a few minutes until the egg firms, flip and repeat
• Keep warm in the oven until all toast is cooked up, top with the apples, nuts and a little maple syrup

Carrot & Rice Casserole

Usually when my CSA goodies arrive, I am excited about a seasonal gem, like tomatillos or lately all the great yogurt. But if I am honest, sometimes, just sometimes, I look in the fridge and sigh, "Holy cow! How the heck can I use up all these freaking <insert abundant vegetable>?"

In this case, it was the carrots. Multiple ... bowls .... full ... of both the bright, almost poppy-colored variety, and a plethora of the tamer yellow version.  I'd roasted, chopped and pureed as many as I could for baby food, dropped others in salads, soups and stir fry and still, the damn carrot supply held on.  

Determined to try something new, I found this carrot & rice casserole. Had I planned better, it might have made a nice Thanksgiving side for some of you. I'll tweet that next year. Whether you are long on carrots like me, simply looking for a hearty side dish, or cooking on a Sunday and hoping for a recipe that will sprout leftovers, this dish could be just the trick.

The whole family devoured, baby included. 

Carrot & Rice Casserole
Base recipe here.  
Ingredients

• 3 cups grated carrots
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or parsley 
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 -1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350
• Combine the carrots, rice, garlic, onion, herbs and salt in a bowl and mix well.
• Add the yogurt and beaten eggs and stir to mix
• Coat a 2 qt casserole dish with oil or cooking spray, and spread the carrot mix out evenly.  Top with cheese
• Cook for 45 mins - 1 hour until a knife comes out cleanly. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Kid-Friendly Meatballs

My son is two and with that comes an increased interest (demand?) in the food he eats.  I appreciate his determination and have to agree that pasta at every meal doesn't sound that terrible.  But the truth is, I am not always in the mood to discuss dinner and that is how these little gems were born.  

Meat has always been one of his favorite foods, he's been known to ask (demand) for it post nap over milk.  Shape that protein into tiny-people finger food, and he's in heaven.  In this case, I jam packed them with vegetables (kale, carrots, mushrooms and onions) for a complete meal in one dish, and both mummy and Hudson are happy.
 
Turkey or Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb of ground turkey or chicken
• 3 tablespoons finely diced carrots
• 3 tablespoons finely diced mushroom
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red or white onion
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesean
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup steamed, finely shredded and diced kale 
• 2 - 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions  

• Saute your mushrooms, carrots and onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes.  With my son, the smaller the dice on the vegetables the better
• Meanwhile, steam and finely chop your kale
• In a large mixing bowl combine the ground meat with the remaining ingrediants aside from the vegetable oil and bread crumbs
• Once combined, add two tablespoons of breadcrumbs.  You want the meat still moist but not soggy or drenched.  Add more breadcrumbs if neccesary
• Heat the vegetable oil in the same saute pan over medium - low heat
• Add spoon size balls to the pan, frying 4 - 5 minutes per side, being careful not to burn. Flip, and set on a paper towel to drain
• We serve them plain or with a sauce, which can include, greek yogurt, tomato sauce or Tzatziki

Maple Soufflé Québécois

I love a good a tradition.  I love that my husband and I celebrate our anniversary at the same restaurant each year, that we give each other the same number of presents at Christmas, that we eat specific food every spring when we open the Montauk house, and that my Christmas morning menu hasn't changed in decades.   I find comfort in repetition.  It gives me space to relax and enjoy.

One of the newer traditions in my life was  started by my Dad and it has quickly become a favorite.  Every time we see each other, we cook a new dish.  A dish he has researched, a dish he wants to share or try with me, a dish we will remember.  This past weekend, we made a Maple Soufflé from Quebec and his home town.  An oozy, sweet, pillowy soufflé chock-full of Canadian goodness with one full cup of maple syrup.

This new tradition lets us to sneak away and enjoy a few precious moments together, alone in the kitchen.  A great tradition indeed.

Maple Soufflé Québécois

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Canadian maple syrup
• 1.5 cups of milk
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 4 eggs, separated 
• Butter for casserole dish 

Directions 

• In a double boiler on your stove top (make shift like ours below works just fine!), combine the maple syrup and milk heating until warm
• Add the oil and flour, whisking constantly for 10 minutes
• Beat the egg yolks and whisk them into the pot
• Let the mixture cool while heating oven to 375
• Meanwhile, beat the whites until stiff
• Fold the whites into the maple pot and gently transfer all to a butter casserole dish
• Place casserole dish in a large pan filled with hot water and bake for 50 minutes
• Serve immediately

My Dad and our make-shift double boiler 

Mark Bittman's Chickpea & Fennel Ratatouille

 

The mark of a good dish can be many things.  The creativity, the flavor, or just the simplicity.  As the holidays approach and I start to plan a number of larger family meals, the main mark for me becomes making it onto my extended holiday menu. That list of 2-3 meals, outside of the traditional big holiday events, that I will cook for a crowd.  After just a few bites, this list was all I could think of when devouring this ratatouille. 

Sure, it came from the Vegan Before Six marketing bonanza series. Yes, it happens to be gluten free.  But I promise you none of that matters.  This dish is just so so so right.  When Mr. Bittman calls it one of his best, he really isn't exaggerating.  It is deliriously aromatic and so rich in flavor I challenge any meat lover to not enjoy it.  It will grandily and happily grace our table this December 26th as a delicious, healthy second act to Christmas eating.

Chickpea & Fennel Ratatouille

Courtesy of Mark Bittman 

Ingredients

• Optional: 1 pound eggplant cut into large chunks
• 3/4 pound zucchini, cut into large chunks
• 1 pound Roma (plum) tomatoes, cored and chopped, or 1 28-ounce can, drained
• 1 onion, finely sliced 
• 2 bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, rimmed and cut into large chunks
• 5 garlic cloves, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
• Salt & Peppers to taste

Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Combine all ingrediants except the oil, chickpeas and thyme in a roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil over, toss to combine
• Roast in the oven, stirring twice, for about 30 minutes
• Add the chickpeas, stir to combine, cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the herbs, season to taste and enjoy over rice or alone.

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds - Flash Tip

If, like us, you are late to the pumpkin carving and seed roasting this year I have a tip for you!  Clean your seeds, and then boil them in salted water for 10 minutes.  The boil, I learned, ensures that the entire seed cooks evenly and that the inside doesn't blacken up!   Post boil, dry them, sprinkle with salt pepper and cayenne, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 - 12 minutes at 325.

Roasted Mushrooms with Crispy Sage and Walnut Oil

You may not have walnut oil in your cabinet, but you are going to buy some.  You may have slight sticker shock at the price, but I can all but guarantee you will thank me when you taste these mushrooms.

I've had walnut oil in my cabinet for sometime and just recently started exploring with it again thanks to the nudging of one of my besties.  She was touting the health benefits, of which there are many, but really, it's the huge, earthy flavor that I adore.  In the dish below, the sage crisps up, the mushrooms drip and the nutty flavors just scream fall.  Enjoy!

Roasted Mushrooms with Crispy Sage and Walnut Oil
Ingredients (serves 2 as a side) 

• 2 cups of whole button and portobella's chopped into a 2 inch dice. note: bunches of enoki would be glorious here
• 1.5 tablespoons of walnut oil
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 10 - 12 sage leaves ripped in half
• Salt to taste 

Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Drop the whole button and chopped portobella on a baking sheet, condensing into a single, close knit center
• Drizzle with the two oils, sprinkle with sage and toss to coat
• Cook for 15 - 20 mnutes until fragrant, but not too shrunken
• Season to taste and enjoy

Marcella's Tomato Sauce

Now that my work life and personal passions are so wonderfully, blissfully aligned, I find myself trying things in the kitchen that I wouldn't have otherwise had the gumption to.  I've made homemade bread, TWICE, in a week.  It was pure elation eating homemade grape jelly on my inaugural loaf of bread last week. 

This inspiration has lead to  more exploration with tomatoes,  which as you may know, is an unexpected turn.  When I read about Marcella Hazan's passing, I knew it was time to try my hand at her tomato sauce.  Run to your local market, scoop up the last tomatoes and do the same.   I included a few yellow heirlooms creating the lighter hue.

Marcella's Tomato Sauce
Ingredients  

• 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, (skins peeled**) or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes skin less, cut up, with their juice
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• Salt to taste 

Directions 

• Put the tomatoes, butter and onion in a saucepan, and cook uncovered at a simmer for about 45 minutes until the butter slick floats on top. 
• Stir from time to time, mashing up large chunks with the back of a wooden spoon.
• Taste, add salt, discard the onion and enjoy. It's best soupy over pasta with freshly grated cheese. 

**Boil water and drop the whole tomatoes in for just a minute.  Remove, let cool slightly and peel. 

Romano Bean Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette & Egg

I love this salad. It includes a just hard-boiled egg, which as you know, makes everything better.  It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, a major win when on those nights when you just don't feel like putting a lot of time into dinner.  And even the little man in my life loves it.  He first sucks off all the dressing, then delicately pries open the pod to fish the inner bean out with his tongue.  It is a specific and sweetly enjoyable process.

Romano Bean Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette & Egg

Ingredients  

• 1 pound fresh Romano beans, washed and ends trimmed
• 1 just hard boiled egg 
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• Salt & Pepper

Directions 

• Steam the romano beans to your liking. I prefer them still crispy, just 3 - 4 minutes in a inch of boiling water
• Meanwhile,  hard boil an egg, keeping it in the water about 10 minutes post boil so the inner most yolk is still tender
• Make the dressing by whisking the finely minced shallot, olive oil, vinegar and mustard, then add salt and pepper to taste.  You want this dressing to be bright and bold to stand up to the thick beans, so add more vinegar if necessary
• Arrange the beans on a plate, crumbling the hard boiled egg over top, and then drizzling with dressing 
• This salad is best warm, or brought back to room temperature before serving 

Lauren Lately: Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta

"Lauren Lately" is a series featuring the latest quick meals in my rotation when I cook but don't necessarily create a blog-worthy meal. 

  

This is my new midweek staple. It's barely a recipe and so easily uses up all those summer squash in your crisper.  Make it the next time you are long on squash or tonight for a easy mid-week meal. And the little hand grabbing at the vegetables is pretty cute too. Yes, I am biased, but who doesn't love a blurry chubby wrist?

Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta 

100 Days of Real Food 

Ingredients  

• 3 - 4 cups of one-inch cubed summer vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, eggplant, carrots and/or tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil or oregeno
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper  
• 1/2 pound of pasta
• Chili oil (optional) 

Directions 

• Lightly coat all the diced vegetables in oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs.  Toss with the white wine, and roast in a deep dish or pan at 425 for 35 minutes, stirring once.
• Meanwhile, cook 1/2 lb of pasta according to instructions, drain and set aside. 
• Tear up the chunk of mozzarella into bite size pieces.  
• Remove the veggies from oven, toss in the cooked pasta, 1 cup of sauce, the shredded cheese and if you wish a 1 - 2 tablespoons of chili oil, toss to mix.
• Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts. 
• If desired, top with more chili oil, then enjoy!

Genius Grilled Fava Beans

This recipe single-handedly changed my view on the large lump of fava beans that frequent my CSA.  It literally transforms them into the loveliest, gooiest summer appetizer.  No need to peel, no need to boil, no need to pop out the little inner bean out... just toss, grill and enjoy!

It, of course, comes by way of the amazing Kristen Miglore at Food52 who scours the internet and cooking world for transformational recipes. And it makes for gorgeous photos to boot!

Genius Grilled Fava Beans

Ingredients  

• 1 pound fresh fava beans in their pods
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground chile pepper
• 1 teaspoon  rosemary
• 3  cloves chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 lemon
• 8 canned anchovies in oil, chopped finely

Directions 

• Mix all the ingredients except the lemon and anchovies together in a bowl, toss the fava beans well to coat and place them on a grill over medium-high heat. 
• Grill the favas for several minutes, until charred, then flip them over and char the other side.
• Remove from grill, and plop them back in the bowl.  Toss the pods to re-coat, and drizzle with fresh lemon juice.   
• Add the anchovies to the bowl, and mix well.
• Arrange the pods on a serving platter and serve! 

About Fava Beans
It's not all Hannibal Lecter and Chianti, though the latter sounds like a wonderful addition.  Fava beans or broad beans as they are referred to in the UK, are native to North Africa and Southwest Asia and can withstand very harsh climates. 

Quick Strawberry Rhubarb "Jam"

There is a reason these two summer staples are so frequently paired.  The sweetness of the berry  complements the tartness of the rhubarb.  When combined, the sturdy rhubarb strings bind so the result isn't too thin. 

Roasting, my undoubtedly favorite quick cooking technique, brings this together in a snap.  Pop it in the oven and less than 30 minutes later you have "jam".  Enjoyed over ice cream, on toast, or mixed with goat cheese and spread over crackers, this quick jam is a keeper.

Quick Strawberry Rhubarb "Jam"

Ingredients  

• 1 quart of strawberries, cleaned, trimmed and cut in half
• 4 stems of rhubarb, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch crescents
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Toss the berries, rhubarb, sugar and balsamic vinegar together
• Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer
• Roast for 20-25 minutes, mixing once
• Let cool, blend until chunky but combined

And so it begins!

At last, it's late June and my first box has arrived.  Isn't the bounty just gorgeous?  I am dreaming of omelets, grilled radishes with mint, and garlic scape pesto.  A new friend and soon to be neighbor signed up for the same share.  Her instagraming of dry-aged meats, home-cased sausages and all around delicious looking meals has me totally inspired as I head into summer blogging.  I can not wait to talk veg and share ideas with you here.  Happy CSA Season indeed.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Oh my.  I disappeared for a bit. Sorry about that!  But spring and its wonderful mass of produce is here.  I am feeling inspired again, over my winter root vegetable rut.  The farmer's market in town just opened, my CSA will begin next month and just moments ago my girlfriend and I lapped up a fabulous lunch of roasted mushrooms, from enoki to hen of the woods.

I have been cooking in my absense, and one particularly enjoyable meal was Elissa Altman's stuffed cabbage leaves from her new book, Poor Man's Feast.  I omit the sugar in her recipe and skip the raisins but otherwise loved these little pockets of tender goodness.  They kept all week, feeding the baby for dinner three out of four nights.

Elissa Altman's Galumpki (aka Stuffed Cabbage)
Serves 6
Ingredients 

• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef 
• 2 tablespoons long grain rice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 large head cabbage
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 28-ounce can crush tomatoes 
• 1 cup of golden raisins (optional, but really who likes raisins in meat?)

Directions

• Bring water to boil in a large stockpot, add the cabbage and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pot, let cool on a platter and then pull off leaves, flattening each one as you go
• Meanwhile, place the diced onion in a large saucepan and cover with water by two inches.  Add the paprika and simmer over low heat
• Combine the meat, rice and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside
• Add the vinegar and half of the tomatoes to the onion pot and stir.  Raise heat to medium-low
• Place 1/4 cup of meat into middle of each cabbage leave, rolling and tucking as you go until all meat is rolled
• Carefully nestle each stuffed cabbage leave, seam side down, in the onion mixture.  Add the remaining tomatoes on top, increase heat to high and boil for 10 minutes covered.  Decrease eat to low simmer and cook, covered, for 2 hours.  
• Serve with rice or bread

Stir Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds

While this dish may seem somewhat ordinary at first pass with it's monochromatic hues and functional title, don't be fooled.  It packs a wonderful flavor punch without being too hot.  I craved another batch for weeks after first consumption. 

Need further convincing?  My husband, typically a cabbage naysayer, sopped it up in seconds, commenting not once BUT twice how much he was enjoying it.  Basically, get chopping and stir frying.  Top it with a fried egg for extra protein and deliciousness points.

Madhur Jaffrey's Stir-Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound green cabbage (half a large head)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut lengthwise into fine half rings
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Directions

• Remove outer leaves of the cabbage, cut it in half lengthwise and cut into long shreds discarding the core.
• Heat the oil in a nonstick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin, fennel and sesame seeds. As soon as the sesame seeds begin to pop, add the onion stir frying for 4 minutes or until the onion has started to brown.
• Add the cabbage and stir fy for another 6 minutes until the cabbage has browned. Mix in the salt and cayenne, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear caramelized and soft.
• Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Mix well and enjoy over rice, or with a fried egg.

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