Fearless Kitchen

Recipe: Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Recipe Source: Orsini, Fr. Giuseppe.  Italian Baking Secrets.  St. Martin's Press, New York, 2007 pp. 124 and 130 - 1.

I have to admit that I'm always a little weirded out by this book.  The author is an apparently retired Roman Catholic priest.  I grew up in the Roman Catholic faith (not that I was ever very good at it) and priests were always... well, apart from the rest of us.  It was hard to imagine them doing something so prosaic as cooking, or washing clothes, or anything domestic.  Furthermore, Catholic priests are men, and in my family men were strongly discouraged from entering the kitchen.  (My recently deceased grandmother was absolutely horrified to learn that I "allowed" my then-boyfriend, now spouse, to cook.  She actually asked if I'd discussed it with a priest.) 

So these are deep-seated attitudes, ones I've struggled to overcome in general.  As I've gotten older I've learned to accept that men of the cloth, regardless of the religion involved, are humans.  They have interests and basic human needs, such as clean clothes and full bellies.  How are they supposed to fill those needs if they don't wash their clothes or cook?  And I have since met many men who are quite good cooks, which means that I no longer recoil at the thought of someone with y-shaped chromosomes setting foot in my kitchen.  (For that matter, my father himself was certainly competent in the kitchen, when he could sneak in there.  To this day my favorite tofu dish is one he invented on the spot, and he could do wonderful things with the trout he caught.) 

But still, turning to a priest as a culinary authority seems quite odd.  I feel like I'm entering into the confessional every time I open the book.  "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  My last baking attempt was one week ago.  My pies look like an alien from original Star Trek.  What am I doing wrong?"  You'll note that this very pronounced sense of the "out-of-place" doesn't stop me from opening this book, though.  Because Fr. Orsini has never steered me wrong.  The recipes he offers are all dishes that I barely remember Old Aunties showing up to family events with, or making appearances at Christmas.  It's like I can reach back and touch a part of my heritage, part that I could never access before.  Furthermore, they're all good recipes that are written in a way that makes sense. 

I turned to Fr. Orsini again for inspiration around the Fourth of July.  My friends were hosting a barbeque and I didn't want to show up empty-handed.  Recently I read a cookbook, focused on the Mediterranean, that really gave me the impression that the (non-Italian) author looked down on Italian-American cooking, so I really wanted to do something that showcased my heritage.  Finally, when I saw "hazelnut" and "chocolate" together in the title, I knew I had to have it.  I only made one change to the original recipe.  I omitted the candied orange peel, because I couldn't find it.  I'll admit that didn't break my heart, because I'm not a huge fan of the stuff even when I can find it, otherwise I'd make a bunch of it and always have it on hand. 

The result was a tasty cake, but not necessarily a pretty one.  The cake part kind of created a bubble, with a shell on the top, empty space for a little bit, and then cake.  I'm not sure why this happened.  The cake was also a little dry, possibly the result of overcooking on my part, but certainly not so dry as to render it inedible.  Try this cake sometime soon! 

Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Glaze (serves 10; approx. $1.15/serving)

1 stick butter, softened

4 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 egg plus two egg yolks, room temperature

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate.

6 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Equipment:

• 9" tart pan with removable bottom
• Food processor
• Stand mixer with both paddle and whisk attachments
• Saucepan with a metal bowl, or a double boiler
• Pastry brush

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the stand mixer, cream together 1 stick unsalted butter with 4 tablespoons sugar. 
3. Add the egg.
4. Dissolve the baking powder and the vanilla into the milk, then add to the mixture in the bowl of the stand mixer.  Beat until smooth.
5. Add the flours and blend until the dough comes together.
6. Lubricate the tart pan with your lubricant of choice, then press the dough into the pan with your fingers. 
7. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork and bake 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven.
8. Meanwhile, make the filling.  Grind the hazelnuts with 2 tablespoons sugar in the food processor to a fine powder.  Reserve a few hazelnuts to garnish the cake.
9. Add in the remaining sugar and process. 
10. Remove to the bowl of your stand mixer (which you have, of course, cleaned.) 
11. Add one stick and two tablespoons butter to the hazelnut and sugar mixture.  Cream until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
12. Change to the whisk and add the egg and egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
13. Pour into the tart shell and smooth the top.
14. Bake 35 - 40 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.
15. Fashion a double boiler out of a saucepan and a metal bowl.  Fill the saucepan with water and bring barely to a simmer. 
16. Combine the remaining butter with the chocolate and the corn syrup in the bowl.  Stir until melted.
17. Paint the glaze over the cake.
18. Enjoy, garnished with the hazelnuts. 

Recipe: Chicken, Broccoli and Green Bean Stir-fry

As I mentioned in passing a few days ago, Fearless Grill and I are expecting an addition to our Fearless family.  Assuming all goes well, the Fearless Fetus is expected to become a Fearless Baby at the very end of January.  I fully expect that there will be a lot of time between now and then when I will simply not feel up to cooking, never mind after the little bean gets here.  There are really two options here: get to know all the local takeout joints very, very well, or cook when I have time and energy and freeze it. 

Both strategies have their problems.  Take-out is problematic in that food made outside one's own home tends to be a little on the caloric side, not the healthiest choice on the planet.  It also tends to be expensive.  Furthermore, we have found exactly two takeout joints near us that we actually like, and they will likely get very dull if we use them all the time.  On the other hand, our freezer has absolutely zero space in it. 

Right now I think the strategy is a combination of the two, but option B means cleaning out the freezer and maximizing what little space we have.  Fortunately some friends who live nearby have offered to share their very large standing freezer with us, but I still need to have space to stash stuff so I don't need to leave the house to get it.  I recently took an inventory of what is in the freezer here, so I can plan my meals to use up what I've had lingering for a while. 

This dish is the result of that kind of planning.  The chicken and the vegetables were taking up space in the freezer.  Now they aren't.  The remaining ingredients were all things I had on hand; nothing was purchased specifically for this dish.  It was quite tasty and filling, and only used two pots and one serving dish.  If you use a rice cooker or have cooked rice on hand, it only uses one pot.  I'd call that a win!

Chicken, Broccoli and Green Bean Stir-fry (serves 4; approx. $2.88/serving)

1 boneless skinless chicken breast half, sliced thinly across the grain

4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

2 tablespoons shao xing wine, divided

2 tablespoons minced ginger, divided

2 teaspoons hot pepper sesame oil, divided

1 green garlic bulb, chopped

1 16-ounce bag frozen green beans

1/2 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 cups rice, cooked

Equipment:

• Wok
• Bowl

1. Put the sliced chicken in the bowl.  Pour 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon shao xing wine and 1 teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil over the chicken.  Mix with your hands so that the chicken is coated with the liquid.  Set aside while you prep the remaining ingredients. 
2. Heat the toasted sesame oil and 1 teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil in the wok over high heat. 
3. Add the garlic and remaining ginger.  There may be splattering and you may wish to adjust the heat. 
4. Add the chicken to the wok, with its marinade.  Stir-fry until the chicken begins to change color.
5. Add the beans to the wok.  Stir-fry until they turn bright green.
6. Add the broccoli to the wok.  Stir fry until the vegetables are all fully thawed and warm and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. 
7. Add the remaining soy sauce and shao xing wine.  Stir to coat.
8. Put the cooked rice into your serving bowl.
9. Top with the wok mixture. 
10. Garnish with the scallions. 
11. Serve. 

Recipe: Fava Bean and Arugula Salad

Recipe Source: Barron, Rosemary.  Meze.  Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2002 p. 69

While shopping at the Greek market up in Arlington, I happened to find fresh fava beans.  They weren't great fava beans, but they were the only fresh fava beans I'd seen in over a year.  I've had to use frozen fava beans, dried fava beans and on occasion frozen lima beans as substitutes.  So I picked them up, assured that I would find a use for them before they rotted in my fridge.  I was not disappointed.  I made them for the cookout we hosted to celebrate the town's fireworks display. 

I did make a few changes, and I made those changes because I confused this recipe with another recipe I intended to make but scrapped at the last minute.  I omitted the scallions and the radishes, substituting a bed of arugula for the radishes (nowhere near the same thing, I know) and green garlic stalks for the scallions.  The result was tasty and got more vegetables into my guests. 

Fava Bean and Arugula Salad (serves 8; approx. $0.98/serving)

2 pounds fresh fava beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1/2 bulb green garlic, crushed

1 green garlic stalk, chopped

Kosher salt and Grains of Paradise to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 bunch fresh arugula

Equipment:

• Saucepan
• Skillet with a lid
• Slotted spoon
• Small bowl

1. Shell the fava beans.
2. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil.
3. Blanch the shelled beans 2 minutes; drain.
4. Pop out the beans from the skins. 
5. Heat the olive oil in the skillet over low heat. 
6. Add the fava beans, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the water. 
7. Reduce heat to very low, cover and cook 2 minutes. 
8. Using the slotted spoon, remove the fava beans from the skillet and set aside.  Reserve the pan liquid.
9. In the small bowl, combine the garlic with the salt and freshly ground Grains of Paradise. 
10. Whisk in the remaining lemon juice, then whisk into the pan juices.  Heat until warm.
11. Arrange the arugula on a serving platter. 
12. Arrange the beans on top of the arugula, then pour the pan juices over the beans.
13. Sprinkle with the dill and green garlic stalk.
14. Serve. 

Recipe: A Better Brisket (Guest Post from Fearless Grill)

Recipe Source (Rub): Jamison, Cheryl and Bill, Smoke & Spice  p. 105

For some reason, getting BBQ-sized beef briskets in the Boston area is a problem.  The local grocers and box stores only sell small 3-4 pound flats, if they have any at all.  Whole Foods will order you one, but charges a pretty hefty price per pound for it.  Our local butcher shop won’t stock them, as they don’t sell enough to make it worthwhile.  However, slow smoked brisket is one of my favorite barbeque dishes, and I was determined to make at least one this summer.  One day, I had some free time and decided to venture afield and see if I could find someplace that stocked usable briskets.  My search led me to a butcher shop called Roxie’s in Quincy, MA.  They didn’t have any brisket in their meat cases, and I was about to leave when I decided to ask one of the employees if they could order me one.  He went in the back, and emerged with a 13 lb. gorgeous brisket, which was also a reasonable price!   I grabbed it and decided to cook it for our 4th of July celebration.  

For this brisket, I decided to prepare it simply.  I wanted to try a different flavor than I had done in the past, and after perusing several of my BBQ books, decided on the Jamison’s ‘Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub’ from their book Smoke and Spice.  I was originally going to marinate it, but the brisket was too big to fit in a Ziploc bag and our fridge was too full to put it in a pan overnight, so I decided to skip the marinade this time.  I also decided not to baste, as my Big Green Egg smoker tends to keep food moist without basting, and I didn’t want to have to stay up all night basting during the 18 hour cook.  We had some frozen Dinosaur BBQ Mutha Sauce from a previous cook, but some of our guests are spice-averse and I wanted to make a milder sauce as an option as well, so I also went with the Jamison's Smoked Onion Sauce from the same book. 

Smoking brisket is a time consuming affair.  To reach the appropriate level of tenderness, the meat must be slow cooked at a low temperature to break down the connective tissue in the meat.  The general guideline that I’ve found to work is about 90 minutes per pound of meat.  For my 13 pound brisket (12-ish when trimmed), this translated to an 18 hour cook.   However, this timeline is approximate.  To get this right, you want to go by the internal temperature of the meat, which should be between 190 and 200 degrees when done.  Each piece of meat will cook differently, so you want to leave yourself some leeway in case yours decides to cook more slowly.  As a result, I aim to be done approximately 2 hours before I plan to serve, and I adjust my smoker’s temperature in the last few hours of the cook to speed up or slow down the process as needed.  Once the brisket is done, I wrap in foil and a few towels, and put in a cooler until I’m ready to carve.  This keeps the meat hot, and the extended rest ensures that it will remain moist when carved.  I use a Maverick ET-73 remote thermometer to monitor both my meat and smoker temperatures while cooking.  This reduces the need to open the smoker, keeping the moisture in, and also eliminates the worry that the fire will get too hot or go out in the middle of the night. 

This was the best brisket I’ve prepared yet.  The meat came out tender, moist, and with a great smoke flavor.  It really didn’t need the sauce, though it tasted great with the sauce too.  One note:  The recipe for the rub makes more than you’ll need for even a large brisket.  You could either halve the recipe, or just make the full amount and keep it for later as I did. 

Smoked Beef Brisket (Serves 2-3 per 1b.   Approx. Cost Per Serving Not Available)

Equipment Required
_    Big Green Egg or other smoker
_    Wood chips or chunks for smoking
_    Meat thermometer
_    Cooler

One large beef brisket – 8+ pounds – either a large flat or a full packer cut

3/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1. At least 2 days before serving, determine your approximate cooking time.  Although you will be cooking to internal temperature of the meat, not time, you can approximate 1.5 hours per pound of brisket.  For my 12 pound trimmed brisket, this meant starting my smoker 18 hours before my planned completion time. 
2.  At least 2 hours and up to 24 hours before cooking, trim the fat from the brisket, leaving about 1/4 inch of fat around the outside of the meat.  While this sounds like a lot, it will largely melt away during cooking, and will help to keep the meat moist.  
3. Find the grain of the meat, and make a small guide cut perpendicular to the grain.  This will help you find the grain in the cooked meat. 
4. Mix together the ingredients for the rub, and apply to all exposed surfaces of the meat and refrigerate until ready to cook.  As my brisket was too big to fit in a Ziploc bag, I wrapped it in plastic wrap, then wrapped that in tin foil.
5. Prepare your smoker for a long cook. Light your fire, and stabilize the temperature between 235 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  In my large Big Green Egg, I cleaned out my firebox thoroughly and followed Elder Ward’s directions for building a successful fire for a long cook.  I used hickory wood chunks for smoke, and used my plate setter with the legs facing up and a drip pan inside to set up for indirect cooking.  I filled the drip pan about halfway up with water to prevent the fat from burning and causing an unpleasant type of smoke, and to help provide moisture during the cook. 
6. Before putting the meat in the smoker, apply a second coating of the rub to the meat.  This will help create a nice bark on the outside of the finished product. 
7. Put the brisket in your smoker, with the fatty side up.  If you have a remote thermometer, I strongly suggest using it.  My Maverick ET-73 works great for these types of cooks.  If your smoker doesn’t require basting, leave the lid closed until it is done (at 190-200 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature).
8. Remove the brisket from the smoker when the internal temperature is between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.  If your brisket gets done early, you can keep it warm by wrapping in a couple of layers of tin foil.  If it gets done really early, wrap the foiled brisket in a bath towel, and put it in a cooler.  It will stay warm for 3-4 hours or more this way. 
9. When you are ready to serve, slice the brisket thin across the grain, using the guide cut you made earlier as an indicator.  Serve on a plate with your favorite BQ sauce, or use for brisket sandwiches. 

Recipe: Almond Ice Cream with Strawberry-Amaretto Sauce

Recipe Sources: Ice cream: Weinstein, Bruce.  The Ultimate Ice Cream Book.  William Morrow and Company, New York, 1999 p. 9.  Sauce: Clements, Carole and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen.  French.  Anness Publishing, London, 2006 p. 249

I love ice cream.  I love it so much that I store the freezer bowl of my ice cream maker far, far away from my freezer.  If I stored it IN the freezer, I'd be making ice cream every day.  I'd also be eating ice cream every day.  Lots of it.  Storing the bowl forces me to plan my frozen, creamy indulgences and prevents impulse ice-cream making.  When I saw that Savor the Thyme, along with Scotty Snacks and Tangled Noodle, was hosting an ice cream blogging event, I had all the excuse I needed. 

My husband complains about the quantity of almonds that I use, so I seriously considered making a different kind of ice cream here.  The book I used has wonderful recipes for honey ice cream and Earl Grey ice cream, which would have been great here.  I decided to stick with almond for two reasons.  First, I had plans for an elaborate pastry shell that would have worked better with almonds.  Secondly, I am pregnant and I wanted almonds.  I wouldn't describe it as one of those stereotypical pregnancy cravings where the wife wakes the husband at three in the morning demanding a peanut butter and pickle pizza, but I am more than willing to use that stereotype to get what I want.  At least when it comes to food! 

The sauce has a story behind it too, of course.  I wanted to dress up the dish and make it more visually appealing by adding a brightly colored sauce.  Strawberries, of course, are no longer in season.  However, when they were in season, I bought a lot of them.  You see, my husband and I have a tradition.  Whenever the Yankees, or another favorite team that we're watching, is getting blown out, we make daiquiris.  In order to save time, I purchased a lot of strawberries, pureed them and froze them in quantities suitable for our daiquiri recipe.  Then I found out about the impending arrival of the Fearless Fetus, which put a real damper on our daiquiri drinking.  (Fortunately the Yankees' season improved dramatically after we found out about FF - otherwise this would be a lot harder!)  Anyway, since I'm not drinking daiquiris right now, I figured I might as well use the puree for the sauce. 

The result was exactly what I wanted it to be.  I could smell the almond as soon as I took the lid off the ice cream container.  The strawberries don't overpower the almond, but provide a nice counterpoint to them.  Try this sometime soon and enjoy! 

Almond Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce (serves 6; approx. $1.71/serving)

2 cups strawberry puree, thawed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur

7 ounces almond paste (store bought or homemade)

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups half and half

1 cup heavy cream

Equipment:

• Ice cream maker
• Bowls
• Saucepan
• Strainer
• Electric mixer
• Whisk

1. To make the sauce, combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.  If you had to use the microwave to thaw frozen puree, it may be a little discolored.  A few drops of red food coloring should solve that problem for you.  Transfer the sauce to some sort of container - I used a squeeze bottle, but that's by no means mandatory - and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. To make the ice cream, combine the almond paste and sugar in a medium bowl.  Use an electric mixture to combine until smooth.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the almond extract and salt.
5. Bring the half-and-half slowly to sa simmer in a saucepan.
6. Slowly beat the half and half into the almond paste mixture, then pour the entire mixture back into the pan and heat over low heat. 
7. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.  Do not let the mixture boil or the eggs with scramble, and that is no fun at all.
8. Remove from heat and strain into a clean vessel.
9. Allow the custard to cool a bit, then stir in the cream.
10. Refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.
11. When you're ready to churn, stir the custard and pour it into the bowl of your ice cream maker.  Churn 30 minutes or according to the manufacturer's instructions. 
12. Pour into clean containers and freeze until ready to serve.
13. When you're ready to enjoy your almondy treat, dish into your favorite ice cream dishes, top with the sauce and enjoy. 

Recipe: Barley "Risotto" with Weird Chinese Green

Last October, I made a barley and mushroom "risotto."  As I said in that recipe, I tend to be a little conservative when it comes to some things, and as far as I'm concerned a risotto contains rice.  However, I loved how the barley worked in that recipe.  I loved that recipe so much that I continue to crave it months later, and it is one of the recipes that I will probably be making in bulk and freezing for when the Fearless Fetus puts in its appearance this winter.  For the record, it does freeze well. 

Anyway, fast-forward to June.  While at the Brookline Farmer's Market's inaugural session for 2009, I found a Weird Chinese Green.  It looked a little like bok choy but not really - the color was much more vibrant.  I did not write down the name of the Weird Chinese Green, unfortunately, so I can't tell you what it was.  I can tell you that it had a marvelous flavor and a texture that worked well in this context. 

At any rate, when we were preparing for our big Braintree Fireworks party, my husband asked me what side dishes I had prepared.  He didn't feel that they would be enough food for people and was very concerned that people would be hungry.  (This was the morning of the party, allow me to state.)  I thought fast.  Well, I had Weird Chinese Green.  What could I do with Weird Chinese Green that would get it out of my fridge?  Something high in carbs (so it would be filling) would be key.  How about a risotto?  I resolved on that course of action, only to hit an obstacle.  I was out of risotto rice.  I love basmati rice, and jasmine rice, but neither of them are quite right for a risotto.  In my frenzied, expletive-filled search for a secret Arborio stash, I found the last of the pearl barley I'd bought for the above recipe.  Why not that?  Heck, it worked the last time.  I didn't know how that was going to work with Weird Chinese Green, but I was going to give it a shot. 

The result?  A pretty smashing success.  Two out of three small children at the party ate it without complaint (I'm not sure about #3; I wasn't seated near him during the meal but he seems to be a picky eater.)  I loved it, and I'm usually my own worst critic.  My guests enjoyed it.  One of the guests had endured a particularly long day and was feeling pretty exhausted; a small bowl of this dish and a nap in the library seemed to revive her pretty decently.  It was pretty easy to make on the fly.  I used what I had on hand, so if you actually have enough of one kind of broth on hand go ahead and use what you have. 

Barley "Risotto" with Weird Chinese Green (serves 8 - 12 as a side dish; approx. $1.12/serving)

3 cups vegetable stock

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup water

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

15 ounces pearl barley

4 1/2 ounces peccorino cheese, grated

2/3 bunch Weird Chinese Green, chopped (You can use bok choy if you'd like something more concrete than Weird Chinese Green.... but feel free to experiment)

Kosher salt and Grains of Paradise to taste

Equipment:

• Two saucepans, one large
• Wooden spoon with a long handle
• Ladle

1. Put the combined stocks and water in the smaller saucepan over low heat.  Heat until warm and keep warm during the entire cooking process. 
2. Heat the butter in the larger saucepan. 
3. Add the onions and cook until softened.
4. Add the barley and stir until coated with the pan juices.  Reduce heat to low.
5. Add the chopped Weird Chinese Green and stir until just beginning to wilt.
6. Add one ladle of the broth mixture.  Stir constantly until all the liquid is absorbed.
7. Repeat until all the liquid has been absorbed OR until the barley absolutely, positively cannot absorb any more liquid, whichever comes first.  This will vary each time you make this recipe and I don't know why. 
8. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature if necessary. 

Recipe: Roasted Carrots with "Sauce of Minimal Cost"

Recipe Source (sauce): Grewe, Rudolf and Constance B. Hieatt (eds.)  Libellus de Arte Coquinaria: An Early Northern Cookery Book.  Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Tempe, 2001 p. 33

When you see a recipe for a "Sauce of Minimal Cost," how is it possible to not find an excuse to make it?  I found this one in a collection of medieval recipes that has been found, in slightly different variations, in four different libraries in (I believe) three different languages.  The Danish version is thought to be the earliest of the four, although it is thought that the recipes have been translated from an earlier German text that has not been found yet.  I decided to make it for the medieval dinner we gave on a recent camping trip, although I was kind of stumped.  What would I serve it with?  Meat would be unwieldy, as I was unsure if I would get any cooking time and I didn't want to store meat for two days in a cooler without cooking it.  But what kind of vegetable would stand up to such a (frankly) strongly-flavored sauce?  I decided to roast some carrots, mostly on a whim. 

Roasted Carrots with "Sauce of Minimal Cost" (Serves 20; approx. $0.63/serving)

5 lb carrots, peeled and cut into serving-sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

4 onions, very finely diced (by hand, not in the food processor.  The original specified "chop as small as peas.) 

3 bunches parsley, finely chopped

2 cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Equipment:

• Roasting pan
• Bowl
• Immersion blender

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put the carrots into the roasting pan.  Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and mix to ensure that all of the carrots have some of this mixture. 
3. Roast 40 minutes or until the carrots are reasonably tender.
4. Meanwhile, combine the parsley, broth and vinegar in a bowl. 
5. Using the immersion blender, mix well. 
6. Add the onions and stir with a spoon. 
7. Serve the carrots topped with some of the sauce. 

Recipe: Hortopita Triangles

I think most people are probably already familiar with the traditional Greek dish spanakopita.  It basically means "spinach pie," and I've seen it served in slices like a pie (or a casserole, really) and I've seen it served folded into delicate little triangles.  In their small, triangle-shaped form, they make a great cocktail party nibble or appetizer.  This recipe was intended to be a basic spanakopita, which I would make with the spinach from the spinach box by the side of my house.  That didn't work out so well.  There wasn't enough spinach.  So I filled it out with some mixed greens from my "mixed greens" box (that's how the seed packet comes, just "mixed greens.") and some ... er... mesclun mix that I had lying around in my fridge.  It needed to get used up and it's what I had.  And it was green, which was the idea. 

Anyway, they were a hit, which I fully expected.  I'm not a huge spanakopitafan myself, but these always go over amazingly well any time I serve them.  The important trick to remember is to use the slightly thicker "#7" phyllo dough, not the overly thin and dry stuff you can get at your local supermarket.  Greek groceries will usually carry it, as will some of the better-stocked Middle Eastern markets.  If you can't find it, go ahead and use the other stuff, but be prepared to curse, swear and have to throw a lot of it away.  For more detail on folding the little triangles, click here.  Note: If you cannot find green garlic - and I've never seen it in a supermarket, only at the Brookline farmer's market - you can use regular garlic and scallions.

Hortopita Triangles (serves about 16 as an hors d'oeuvre; approx. $0.90/serving)

4 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped

12 ounces mixed greens, chopped (these greens can be whatever you can find.  I'm partial to dandelion greens myself, but mine had all gone bad.)

1 box phyllo dough, thawed (#7 preferred)

2 1/2 sticks of butter, melted

1 bulb green garlic, chopped, plus two green garlic stalks, also chopped

1/3 bunch fresh dill

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 onions, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Equipment:

• Pastry brush
• Cookie sheets
• Large saute pan
• Pizza cutter or very, very sharp knife

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in the saute pan. 
3. Add the onions and the chopped garlic bulb.  Saute until softened. 
4. Add the greens and spinach.  Saute until beginning to wilt.  Season with kosher salt and pepper if desired.
5. Add the dill and the chopped green onion stalks.  Cook until all of the greens are wilted.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the feta. 
7. While waiting for the filling to be cool enough to handle, use the pizza cutter to slice that whole box of phyllo dough into strips about 2" wide.  If you've worked with phyllo before, you can probably work quickly enough that you don't have to worry about it drying out too much.  If not - well, cover it with a slightly damp kitchen towel.  Seriously, though, the only time I've had a problem was when I was using low-quality phyllo. 
8. Lay one single, solitary strip of dough on a work surface.  Paint the strip with melted butter - not too much, just a little bit to moisten the dough a bit.
9. Put a small amount of dough near the bottom.  Fold the strip into a triangle shape per the instructions in the link above. 
10. Repeat until you've used all the dough (or all the filling, whichever).  Paint the tops of the triangles with more melted butter.
11. Bake 12 - 15 minutes at 375 degrees, or until golden. 
12. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe: Peas and Leeks with Spices

Recipe Source: Apicus.  Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome.  Joseph Dommers Vehling, ed. and trans.  1977 reprint of the 1936 edition published by Walter M. Hill of Chicago, page 128.

This is yet another vegetable dish I made for the medieval enthusiasts' dinner I served while camping recently.  I will freely admit that this recipe, which dates to the first century AD, predates what we consider the medieval period by about 500 years.  That said, Apicus is cited in a number of medieval texts and so I feel perfectly comfortable using his recipes in a medieval context. 

I did make a few changes to the original recipe, mostly in the form of omissions.  Lovage is not readily available in modern Boston.  Green basilica may be plain old basil, but I'm not sure.  I used ground coriander and cumin as well as dill seed here; the dried or fresh forms of none of them were specified, and I've never even seen fresh cumin.  For the broth I used the Lemony Vegetable Broth I'd made earlier, mostly in the interests of preservation.  I used white wine - neither red nor white was specified - for the sake of presentation.

My one real complaint about how this dish turned out was color.  The color you see in the picture was what I wanted.  By the time that I served it, the vibrant greens had really faded significantly.  Otherwise, the dish had a great flavor and was much more filling than it looked. 

Peas and Leeks with Spices (serves 20; approx. $0.81/serving)

3 pounds frozen green peas (or shelled fresh green peas)

5 leeks, thinly sliced

1/4 cup ground coriander

1/4 cup ground cumin

5 tablespoons black pepper, coarsely ground

2 tablespoons dill seed

2 cups white wine

2 cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

Equipment:

• Large saucepan

1. Heat the peas gently in the saucepan.  If you're using frozen peas, you'll know you're ready for the next step when they begin to give up some water.
2. Lay the leeks on top of the peas.  Sprinkle the cumin and coriander on top.  Cook another 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. 
4. Simmer 4 minutes or so, until the leeks are relatively soft. 
5. Taste for salt.  If necessary, add a pinch of salt or to taste. 
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe: Scandanavian Gold Cake

Recipe Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.  The Countryman Press, Woodstock, 2003 p. 361

Every year, as I know I've mentioned, the Town of Braintree puts on a big fireworks display over Sunset Lake the Saturday before the Fourth of July.  All the lake families - families whose homes abut the lake - hold big parties to celebrate and watch the show from their lawns.  (People with homes that do not abut the lake don't have to miss out - they get a big party over at the high school, with fried dough and all sorts of other carnival activities.)  Anyway, this year the town celebration coincided with my friend Barney's birthday.  He and his wife were kind enough to postpone their celebration of Barney's birthday so we could host people for the fireworks.  (The fact that their children, who are the most wonderful small children in the world, like fireworks may have played some role in that decision, but it was still very nice of them all the same.)  I wanted to have a cake in honor of Barney's birthday, and this was the recipe I came up with.  I chose it because it was relatively easy, looked a little different, and contained no chocolate whatsoever.  (Barney isn't a chocoholic by any means, and his wife really dislikes the stuff.) 

Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately, the cake did not get eaten.  We had a lot of food on the table.  Many people brought desserts, possibly because to say that they aren't my forte would be a gross understatement, possibly because they're easier than coming up with side dishes when you don't know the menu.  Anyway, one of those desserts was a pecan pie brought by Barney himself.  If that wasn't enough, my husband decided to make brisket for the party, and it is not possible to barbeque a small quantity of brisket.  So people were too full to eat any of the desserts, and for the most part only small bits of pie were taken.  It was still a good cake, though.  Sigh. 

Scandinavian Gold Cake (serves about 20; approx. cost per serving $0.23)

1 cup butter

9 1/4 ounces sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 ounces toasted almonds

7 1/4 ounces flour

6 eggs, room temperature

Equipment:

• Tube pan
• Mini food processor or nut grinder
• Stand mixer

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. In the mini processor, grind the toasted almonds into a fine, flour-like powder. 
3. In the bowl of the stand mixer, beat the butter until it is soft.
4. Add the sugar, salt, baking powder and extracts.  Beat until well blended.
5. Add the ground almonds (now almond flour, and much cheaper than you could buy it) and the regular flour.  Mix.  It will be crumbly.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. 
7. Scrape into the pan and level with a spatula. 
8. Bake one hour. 
9. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack.  After 10 minutes, you can turn it out of the pan to cool more quickly on the rack.
10. Dust with some confectioner's sugar and garnish with raspberries. 
11. Serve.