Made Weekly

a cooking experiment: five recipes, five days, one ingredient

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Sneak peek of a new project I'm working on. Black rice salad with mango, avocado, red pepper, purple cabbage, scallions and herbs, topped with garlic shrimp and Vietnamese dressing. 

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Here I go again with the oven…sincerest apologies, but I really don’t think a recipe of just raw cherries is gonna cut it! I took someone’s advice and tried pitting the cherries this time with a metal cocktail straw. I took off the stem and then ran it right through where it was. It was definitely quicker than the paring knife (thankfully, because it’s only Tuesday and I’m already sick of pitting cherries…)

I had some zucchini left over from last week so I made this sweet / savory / tangy lentil salad. I used these nice little black lentils, but they can be hard to find, so French lentils will also do.

Perhaps I will manage a cherry recipe that doesn’t involve turning on the oven tomorrow. And don’t forget to check out my Q&A on the Kohler design blog! 

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I love how versatile cherries are in sweet and savory dishes. A throwback to last year -- thankfully this summer isn't so unbearably hot, so hopefully a little oven action won't hurt!   

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Tomato, mozzarella, and bread. It can’t get much simpler than that. I considered just posting a tomato, sliced in half, with salt & pepper on it as my recipe today. It is, after all, one of the most enjoyable ways to eat such flavorful tomatoes. But I figured that was a cop-out, and this is nearly as simple but more satisfying as a European-style lunch. 

Substitute with any other favorite cheese, and add some basil if you’re feeling frisky. 

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The tomatoes I'm growing in my backyard (assuming the evil squirrels do not get them) are just getting ripe. I can't wait to make this with one of my Brandywines!

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These green beans are a riff on a recipe my mom made for us when I was younger. Her version is simply green beans, garlic, soy sauce, and almonds, which is equally delicious. This is one of my favorite simple side dishes. Add some sriracha on top for extra zing!

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Nom nom green beans! 

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You can definitely make this sorbet even without an ice cream machine — just freeze in a shallow container and stir a few times as it’s freezing. It will be a little icier, but still tasty.

The liquor is optional, but helps the sorbet keep from freezing to a rock solid state so it’s highly recommended! 

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With the weekend approaching, maybe you should plan to make this sorbet??

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File this under super simple summer meals. Hardly any chopping, and no heat required. So fresh.

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I just made a peach creme fraiche pie last week, so I've got peaches on the mind. Remember this little ditty? 

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Ricotta crostini of all varieties is my go-to for snacking or an easy hors d’oeuvre at a party. Ricotta is magically versatile, creamy, and goes well with sweet and savory flavors. 

This is something of a sweet-savory crostini, because between the roasted garlic, basil, and corn, each element lends a slightly different sweetness to the whole.

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Reblogging some of my favorites from last summer as I gear up to start posting again! Stay tuned...

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Fall of a thousand changes

And I thought summer was busy! Just wanted to pop by to acknowledge that I've failed to update in awhile...still in the throes or many big (but good!) life changes. So hang in there. I may need to rethink my posting schedule but I hope to get some fall goodness going soon.

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I don't know why this recipe came to me, given the fact that I haven't had a baked potato in ages. But somehow the idea for cilantro sour cream popped into my head, and I couldn't not pair it with a potato. Some crunchy charred corn helps vary the texture. Once corn season has departed, you could easily substitute it with sautéed greens, caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, or another vegetable of your choice.

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Cilantro rice is a nice accompaniment to any Mexican meal, or combined with vegetables, tofu, or beans, it makes a great one-dish meal. 

For 1 cup of brown rice, I used about 1/2 an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 seeded jalapeño. Add that to a cup or more of packed cilantro and use a few tablespoons of olive oil. Always test the spice of your chili before using it! 

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Green eggs, without the ham. If you ever feel like scrambled eggs and toast may not be the most balanced breakfast, a hearty handful of herbs and other vegetables from your fridge will remedy that quickly. 

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Chimichurri is traditionally an Argentinean sauce used as an accompaniment for grilled meats. Some versions use oregano instead of cilantro, but I do not love the flavor of oregano in large quantities, and I do love cilantro....so here we go! Capers are also optional, but add a great briny flavor. 

This tangy sauce (similar to gremolata, which is served with osso buco) really cuts through rich, fatty meats...but is also very delicious on vegetables or stirred into rice, used as a pesto, poured over roasted potatoes, or served alongside empanadas. Just get creative!

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Herb oils are a cinch to make, and are a wonderful finishing element to have on hand. 

Cilantro oil is awesome drizzled over soups (like gazpacho!), on top of scrambled eggs, or whisked with lemon juice or vinegar to make a vinaigrette. You shouldn't cook with herb oil because heat will affect the flavor, but think of it as the finishing touch. 

Cover and keep in the refrigerator. It's best if you use herb oil within a day, or it will lose its potency and within a few days it will go bad.

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Cilantro 101

I know, cilantro is polarizing. The only reason I accept that people might not love cilantro as much as I do is that their aversion is supposedly genetic. Cilantro-haters can't help it, so I forgive them.

Many of the cuisines I love the most use cilantro frequently -- Mexican, Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern. Cilantro has a wonderfully bright flavor that enhances and complements the strong spices often found in those cuisines. 

Cilantro / Coriander: Technically the plant is called coriander. Here in the US, we call its fresh, leafy version cilantro, and the dried seeds coriander. In other countries, the fresh herb is also known as coriander. 

Storage: Cilantro has a tendency to go bad quickly. My most successful storage technique is to wash it upon bringing it home and dry it as well as possible (in a salad spinner if you have one). Wrap in a couple of paper towels and store in a large ziplock bag, with the air pushed out. 

From root to leaf: The entire cilantro plant can be used for cooking -- its pungent roots are often used in Thai curries, its stems are tender enough to chop up along with the leaves, and its seeds have a lemony, mildly spiced flavor.

WTF is Culantro?: Apparently another plant called culantro (also known as Mexican Coriander) exists, which is related in flavor but looks like a leafy aloe plant. I have yet to come across culantro, but when I do, I will be sure to report back. 

Cilantro haters, step aside!

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Late summer is host to many amazing vegetables, so why not combine them all into one dish? Technically, yes, this does have tomatoes, but it also has a lot of other goodies. And it was a bit too complicated for me to photograph or describe visually, so here we go. Special Friday edition!

Ingredients 1 red bell pepper 1 medium eggplant 1 medium zucchini 1 medium yellow summer squash 1 medium onion 2 large heirloom tomatoes 1 c. fresh breadcrumbs 2 cloves garlic 2 T. herbs de provence, or a combination of fennel seeds, dried basil, and dried thyme, crushed in a mortar & pestle red pepper flakes salt black pepper olive oil parmesan or pecorino

Instructions 1. Slice the eggplant into 1/2" thick slices. Brush both sides with a bit of olive oil and roast for about 15 minutes at 400°F. Remove from the oven.

2. Core the bell pepper and slice into rounds. Cut the bottom off the onion and peel, and slice into 1/4" thick rounds. Slice the squash and zucchini on a long diagonal into 1/4" slices. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices. Sprinkle all the veggies with a bit of salt.

3. Finely chop the garlic and combine with the breadcrumbs, black pepper, red pepper flakes, some olive oil, some of the herbes de Provence, and grated cheese. Toss with a bit of olive oil.

4. Coat the bottom and sides of a gratin dish with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with some of the herbs de Provence. Layer vegetables into the gratin dish on a somewhat vertical diagonal, alternating types of veggies, until dish is filled. Sprinkle everything with a bit more salt and more herbs. 

5. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.

6. Bake at 400°F for about 45 minutes, or until the veggies are juicy and the top is browned. 

7. Eat. 

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Serving something "two ways" sounds kind of cheesy, but sometimes it's the best way to experience all the flavors of a given vegetable. Raw fennel is so different than roasted fennel, but amazing in their own ways. The same goes for tomatoes.

I roasted a bunch of stragglers I had left over and basically mashed them up with a bit of acid and oil to make a chunky vinaigrette. It's also good stirred in with grains, like bulgur or quinoa, or israeli cous cous (which is a pasta). I kept this straightforward but a creamy cheese or crunchy nut would not be out of place in this salad.

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This is the simplest gazpacho I could think of. It happens to be really pretty with yellow tomatoes, but is just as easily made with red tomatoes (or red peppers, or both). You can add a bit of garlic or onion for some extra punch, but this is just simple and smooth and light as it is.

Straining isn't necessary if you like your soup with more texture, but in that case I would recommend peeling the tomatoes first. Mark an X in the bottom with a paring knife and drop them into boiling water for a minute. Remove and put them in a bowl full of ice water. The skin will come right off.