A simple pasta

Last week I went up north to stay with dear friends for a quick break. They live on the foothills of the Carmel, overlooking the sea. They have a small vegetable garden, a welcoming array of pillows and covers for guests, open hearts and open doors, a table in the front yard which has, as mentioned, a perfect view of the sea, which at the right hour becomes a shimmering expanse of brightness.

Greeted upon arrival by numerous cats and the newly green nature surrounding their home, I turned to satiate a small but definite hunger. The rains which fell recently mean an abundance of young green things which grow wild on any spot, so I gathered a bunch of  young nettle leaves ( with a plastic bag on my hand! ) and wild mustard greens. The mustard greens are delectable, and extremely simple to come by in winter if you live around here. Gather the young tender leaves. Along with the nettles, which are said to be highly nutritious and  cleansing to the body, this made for a delicious, simple, light lunch. Rinse the greens well, warm a little olive oil in a skillet, toss  the clean greens in along with some salt and pepper, and cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally. That's it. I had this with a piece of dense, dark rye toast slathered with raw tehina. You could serve the greens as a side to any dish you please. They also like a squeeze of lemon juice right before you eat them and a bit of garlic quickly fried in the oil before they join the skillet. But the simple way works more than fine.

Since the purpose of the visit was Rest, and since I still wanted to cook something for my hosts and myself, Pasta seemed the choice of the hour. Preparation was kept simple and minimal, but some fine ingredients gave the dish a luxurious feel and comforting flavors. 

Fusilli with Scallions, Dried Tomatoes and Goat's Cheese

1 pckg Fusilli ( I used Tricolor )

1 cup ( about 1 small bunch ) of scallions, cut into pieces about 2 cm long

100 gr pine nuts

1 bunch arugula

125 gr dried tomatoes, sliced ( about a cup )

150-200 gr crumbly goat's cheese ( I used an Israeli type which was rather soft and crumbly with an ash coating. yum ), crumbled or grated 

about 1/4 of a cup olive oil

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. cook pasta till al dente. while the pasta cooks, warm about half the olive oil in a large skillet. Add scallions, dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. cook very shortly. When the pasta is ready and drained, combine with the sauce, stir well and remove from heat. Wait till the pasta cools a bit, then add arugula and cheese. You could either eat this immediately, or let sit and eat at room temperature. In any case, don't add the arugula too soon so that the leaves will maintain some crispness and not become cooked by the heat of the pasta. This would probably be good cold, too.

Just do it.

Hello. It's been more than a while. If I wait any longer, I may never return to writing this blog. And it's not as if I haven't been thinking about it, on the contrary. But with all the time that has gone by, and all the events and moments and places and delicious things these past months have presented me with, I have started feeling as though when I finally sit down to write something here, it will have to be elaborate. It will have to be wow. And once I do it, I'll have to start doing the same once a day. Every day.

But a dear friend recently reminded me of baby steps., of the importance of letting go of disabling expectations and perfectionism, and just getting to it. So I will take her advice and waddle along here. There won't be many photos, and not too many words, but there will be soup, a lovely rich orange colored soup with Asian flavors, a spicy kick and a smooth creamy texture. And it's easy, too.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut milk

1.5 kg pumpkin ( weight with peel ) peeled and cut into medium-small cubes

5 small sweet potatoes

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 hot green pepper- use as much or little as you like

1 stalk of lemon grass*

1 tbsp peeled chopped fresh ginger

1 can coconut milk*

a little oil, coconut or sunflower

 fresh lemon/lime juice

salt

To serve:

Cashew nuts, either lightly dry-pan roasted or not, chopped

fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, warm oil over a medium flame. Add Garlic, diced hot pepper, ginger and lemon grass. Stir and cook for a few seconds- just till the mixture start giving off its scent. Add pumpkin and sweet potato cubes ( try and dice these in the same size, so they will cook evenly), cover and cook till vegetables become soft, stirring occasionally and taking care not to burn or brown the vegetables- this would make the soup a less bright and vibrant shade of orange, and you want it a beautiful orange. Cover with water, bring to boil and cook just till veggies are softened, not very long. Add coconut milk, cook for a few more minutes and remove from flame.Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and salt and let cool a little before removing lemon grass stalk and blending. Check seasoning and server with chopped cashew and cilantro.

* a few quick notes. If you are lucky and have a lemon grass bush growing in your yard or patio you can use fresh lemon grass, which can also be bought dry at Asian speciality shops and health food stores. You don't want the long green leaves, which you can set aside and use in tea, but the part just above ground, the base of the leaves, a white stalk about 8 cm long. from this stalk branch out several leaves. I cut the stalk I used into about two pieces before adding them to the pot.

Take a quick look at the ingredient list on the can of coconut milk and try to find one with no additives and preservatives. This is usually also a higher quality coconut milk, with higher fat percentages. Absolutely worth both the calories and the price.

Last note: this soup is delicious on the spicy side, so I wouldn't give up the hot pepper. That said, the pepper I used tricked me into believing that it wasn't that hot so I went ahead and threw the whole thing into the pot, seeds and all. Yikes. Adjust the amount of pepper you use according to just how spicy your particular pepper is and just how spicy you like your food. I used a green pepper, but I bet a red one would be just as nice.

Oh, and one more thing! you could trade the cashew-cilantro topping for roasted chopped peanuts and fresh scallions. Or you could mix and match. Good luck and happy cooking!

Have a warm, quiet, peaceful weekend, wherever you are.

Quick: Roasted Pepper Soup

The quick in the title refers more to nature of this post and less to that of the soup. You will need to roast and peel 1 kg of red bell peppers, which removes this soup form the "quick" list, but once you've done that, everything else is very simple. And it's delicious. It was inspired by a marvelous pepper soup I had a Jackie's in laws a few months back and have been longing to re-create since. The smoked paprika gives it an interesting twist.

Roasted Pepper Soup

1 kg of red bell peppers

2 ripe tomatoes

1 red onion, diced

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

3 carrots, sliced into large pieces

olive oil

1 tsp smoked paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper

a splash of apple cider vinegar

salt

pepper

Heat the oven to the highest temperature. rub whole, rinsed peppers and tomatoes with a little olive oil, place on a baking sheet and roast until tender- the peppers should have a little burned spots. you might want to turn them over after awhile so they cook evenly. remove from heat, place in a lidded pot and let sit. as the pepper cool they will "sweat" and it will be much easier to peel them. peel and seed tomatoes and peppers, reserving the juice they give off.

in a large pot, heat a generous splash of olive oil. add onions, saute for about a minute, then add potatoes and carrots. cook, stirring occasionally, till the vegetables become tender and slightly golden. add a generous amount of coarse black pepper, and tomatoes, peppers and the liquid you reserved while peeling them. cover with water and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer just till carrots and potatoes are thoroughly cooked. remove from heat, let cool a little, then blend. add smoked paprika, cayenne, salt and vinegar to taste.

can be served hot or warm with a spoonful of yogurt or sour cream, or cold. The first night we ate it warm, but after that I had it for lunch at school, cold- it's too hot during the days for hot soup for me.



Passover dinner and a medley of Roses

I promised you two more recipes on Saturday. I'm a woman of my word, or at least I try. Also, that spring we were talking about is continuing to spin heads around here, and the Roses of Jerusalem are raging in bloom on every street corner and garden, be it well kept or over grown. Here are a few.

As for the recipes. I have a wonderful friend named Jackie. She is a wicked cook, and I've had the pleasure of having a couple of Shabat dinners at her home. On at least two occasions she had an excellent red grain rice, and at least once, a side of asparagus to accompany that. Last time, I found my self scraping the rice-bowl clean, in front of a table full of people I had just met. That good.  So for our passover dinner, I decided to combine both memorable dishes into one, and make a rice dish to remind me of my dear friend. It turned out great, so much so, that it was made again, a week later, for the second Passover dinner. You should try it as well.

Jackies' Dinner Rice

***

1 cup long whole grain rice

1 cup red rice

150 gr pine nuts

1 large bunch of Asparagus, tough bottoms removed

3 medium onions, cut into quarters and sliced thinly

salt

pepper

olive oil

* one package Portobello Mushrooms, cut into large bite-sized cubes. The second time I made this, I felt the one and only bunch of Asparagus left at the green grocers', despite being beautiful, was not large enough for a big bowl of rice. So I grabbed a beautiful box of Portobellos to add as well. You can choose how you like this better- both times it cooked up nicely.

Rinse rice well in running water until water runs off clear. If you have time, let rice soak for about 8 hours- this cuts down the preparation time of whole grain rice to the 20 minutes required to cook white rice, and also the amount of water becomes the same as for white rice. In addition, it activates all the nutrients in the grains, just like rains activates a seed to germinate, and makes this an extra healthy food. If you soak your rice, use a 1.5 to 1 ratio of water to rice- in this case 3 cups of water to 2 cups of rice. If you don't soak your rice, the ratio should be 2 to 1- 4 cups of water to 2 cups of rice. Either way, drain the rice well, and warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pot, and fry rice, stirring, for a minute or two, with some coarsely ground black pepper. add water ( boiling, hold on to the cooking water of the Asparagus as mentioned below ), and salt in a sufficient amount to make the water pretty salty- you don't want your rice to be bland, and cooking it with sufficient salt ensures that the flavor is absorbed into the grains of rice themselves. Bring to boil, lower flame to the lowest setting, cover and let cook for 20 minutes, if rice was pre-soaked, or 40 minutes, if not. Turn off heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork.

In a large skillet, warm a generous splash of olive oil. Add onions, and cook very slowly, over a low heat, until a deep golden brown. Be careful not to burn them over a high heat! this should take around 10 minutes, maybe even a little more.

Blanch Asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water, for no more than a minute. Remove, rinse in cold water, and place in a bowl of cold water and ice cubes to chill completely. Keep the water used for the Asparagus to cook the rice in- you will gain both the traces of nutrients left in the water as well as the flavour. Simply set aside and measure out the amount of water needed when you are ready to cook your rice.

Drain Asparagus and cut into pieces about 2-3 cm long. when onions are golden-brown, add pine nuts, salt and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in asparagus, cook an additional minute, and remove from heat. If you decided to use mushrooms, add them to the onions before the pine nuts, add salt and pepper, and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring. then go ahead with the pine nuts and asparagus.

Combine cooked rice and vegetable mixture while still hot. Check seasoning and serve.

The second recipe is a green bean dish. These can be found fresh in the market now, and are great. Choose dark green, firm, smooth pods with no spots on them. Like most vegetables, these too will be tastiest if you keep cooking to the minimum necessary. Over cooking will result in a sad, soft mess. Plus, the less you cook them, the more nutrients you'll get. Fair deal, if you ask me. As I mentioned in the previous post, this is also the season of fresh garlic. it is intensely flavourful, so you'll need less than when using the dry type. I thoroughly delight in its arrival every year.

Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts with crunchy Almonds, Chili and cilantro

***

1/2 kg fresh green beans, tips removed, cut into 3-4 cm long pieces

about 1 cup Brussels sprouts ( I used frozen, but if you live somewhere where fresh are available- hurray)

2 cloves garlic, minced

handful of almonds, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp chili flakes

small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped

coarse salt

blanch green beans for about a minute in boiling salted water, till their green turns brighter, but they are still crisp. strain and rinse in cold water, then place in a bowl with ice water. cook Brussels sprouts in same water, till cooked- but not soft, you know the drill. rinse and place with beans in ice water.

in a large skillet over a high flame heat a generous splash of olive oil. when hot, add garlic, almonds, chili and salt, stir for a few moments till garlic begins giving off its scent, add beans and Brussels and toss around for a minute or two. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

This is good quite spicy I think, so I used generous amounts of chili. it is probably best served immediately, but we ate it some time after preparation, after a few spins in the micro ( I know! ), and it was still quite delicious.

And one last tiny one before I go. Last time I mentioned my newly found love for cabbage salads. I forget to mention an equal passion for cauliflower. I often treat them quite the same as a salad base, and in this case small florets of cauliflower were sliced and combined with toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, then seasoned with lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper and chili, but instead of the parsley used in the cabbage salad, I used chopped fresh oregano leaves. this was exceptionally good, and a nice variation on my much loved parsley-lemon-olive oil combo.

Happy cooking!



Spring is here

Spring is here.I'll tell you how I know. Because us ladies have broken out the breezy dresses, which could be worn stocking-less for at least 6 out of the 10 past days. And the merchants in the market have made big braided wreathes out of the piles of fresh spring garlic, and all you smell once you've entered Mahane Yehuda is their intense aroma. I love it.

 And I have purchased two (!) new pairs of sandals. Oh, and everything is blossoming. Roses, Jasmin, Citrus, Wild Mustard- you name it. Even my Daffodils, which I had given up hope of meeting, made a rush exit out of the ground and burst into bloom. Here they are:

Spring is short and sweet around here, and summer is already moving in quietly. The bright greens are brimmed with gold, and if you hold very still  the hazy parched days to come can be felt underlying on the warm breeze, which whispers of yellow expanses and a heat which lays heavy over it all. We shall handle those as well. For now, let's celebrate

To do so, and in honor of spring, I'm going to give you two recipes. The first is the salad below. I'm eating it as I type. It is ridiculously simple, easy, fresh and delicious. I have become some what infatuated by cabbage salads, after years of snubbing away in dread of soggy, mayonnaise filled sweet slaws. It happens when you have a polish grandma. Oh, but how wrong I was ! lately I've been discovering just how many delicious ways to eat a cabbage there are, and the darlings have yet to have failed me. More of that in the future, perhaps? for now, go make this salad.



Fresh Cabbage Salad

     1 small head of cabbage, cut into thin, bite size ribbons

1 bunch parsley, chopped

juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste

generous pour of olive oil

about 1 cup toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds

pinch of coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. If you won't be serving this immediately, add the lemon juice and olive oil just before serving, so the cabbage stays crisp and the seeds don't lose their crunch. I like this salad very lemony, and with quite a bit of hotness from the chili. experiment with how much of the seasonings you prefer.

The second recipe calls for Zucchini, Spinach and fresh Green Peas. Fresh peas can really only be found for a short season around here so get them while you can. I saw some in the market last week.

Penne with Zucchini, Peas and Green Herbs

6 small firm zucchinis, cut into matchsticks

1 cup shelled peas

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 large bunch of parsley, chopped

4-5 sprigs of mint, chopped

1 bunch of basil, chopped

juice and zest from half a lemon

1/2 tsp chili flakes

a nice handful of pine nuts

about 1/2 a cup olive oil

a nice chunk of goat's milk feta or Bulgarian cheese

1 pckg of penne pasta

Set a large pot of water to boil. when boiling, add salt, then blanch peas and zucchini for no more than a minute. strain and keep the water to cook pasta in. wash the peas and zucchinis well in cold water to stop cooking.

In a large skillet, warm olive oil. When very hot,add garlic, salt, pepper and chili. fry for a few seconds, just till garlic starts giving off its scent- don't let it start browning. add peas and zucchinis, fry for about 2 minutes, stirring. add pine nuts and lemon zest, stir for a minute more. add chopped herbs, stir for a few seconds and remover from heat.

Cook your pasta till just about ready. Strain and keep a little of the cooking water. Combine pasta, remaining cooking water and sauce in a large skillet over a high flame, cook for a few moments, stirring, till pasta is cooked and the herbs wilted but still bright green. Add crumbled feta and lemon juice, check seasoning and serve.

Later on this week I'd like to share two more recipes with you, of side dishes I made for our passover dinner. To help me keep that motivation going, here's a photo of some wild asparagus. I'll give you a hint: one dish makes use of this wild beauty's cultivated version. I think you'll like it.

Oh, and one more thing. I'm sorry for being absent for so long. I have been busy, busy with good things. But I've been thinking about you a lot, and gathering recipes, and photos, and thoughts, and beautiful things. This one is for you:

O keep squeezing drops of the Sun

From your prayers and work and music

And from your companions' beautiful laughter

And from the most insignificant movements

Of your own holy body.

Now, sweet one,

Be wise.

Cast all your votes for Dancing!

( Hafiz, rendered by Daniel Ladinsky)

Warm Soba Noddle Salad

This is another odds and ends type of recipe. The remainders of a package of tofu were combined with the only veggies I had in my fridge and some parsley from the patio. Sometimes good things are born out of a seemingly empty fridge and necessity  in the form of  pressing hunger, and thus I found myself with a surprisingly tasty bowl of noodles for dinner, after setting out on my wander into the kitchen with very little dreams or aspirations. May these always be our surprises!

Soba Noodle Salad

about 1/3 package of Soba noodles ( around 80 grms)

two celery stalks, sliced

1 carrot,halved and sliced

about 4 little radishes, quartered

1/3 package firm tofu, patted dry and cut into cubes

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup chopped parsley and mint leaves

about 1 tsp grated lemon zest

juice from 1/2 a lemon

olive oil

salt

pepper

chili flake

Oh, well, it's quite easy from here on.  Cook the noodles in boiling water till soft, about 4 minutes. at the same time, warm a little olive oil in skillet, when very hot add tofu and a little salt and  fry till golden on all sides. add garlic, chili and pepper and stir for a minute, then herbs and remove immediately form heat. combine vegetables, noodles, and tofu in a bowl. Dress with lemon juice and zest and  a nice splash of olive oil. check seasoning, the salad should tangy from plenty of lemon, and the chili and pepper noticeable, unless you prefer otherwise. serve while warm.

 

I burned the beans

I burned the beans. I'm sure you gathered that much from the title. I sat the beans to boil in plenty of water when I got home, and proceeded to carry on with the medley of things that cluttered my brain. Much later, while relaxing on the sofa with my flat mate and a bowl of delicious pasta she had made, we noticed a strange smell. Popcorn, my wise mate ominously suggested. I dismissed it. Twice. then I jumped up snake bitten and ran to the kitchen to find my lovely beans had indeed cooked themselves silly.
The damage was not as bad as I feared. Only the bottom layer was scorched black, and the majority of the beanies were still white, but smoked. I overcame the urge to throw them out in anger, seeing as they were an annoying reminder to my negligence and hopeless irresponsibility, instead moving them to a new pot with a little water and leaving them till tomorrow.

Tomorrow came. I once more overcame the impulse of tossing them. I decided to try and make something out of them, despite their lack of perfection. And also a soup, Broccoli soup with no Dairy. It worked. There must be lessons to be learned here, of accepting imperfection and overcoming childish foot-stomping tantrums. I shall do my best.

                                               Bean Salad with Tomato and Red Onion

2 cups of small white beans, preferably organic, soaked (at least) overnight

1 large, ripe Tomato, cut into tiny cubs

1 small red onion, chopped very fine

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

tiny sprig of rosemary, chopped

2 tbsps olive oil

juice from 1/2 a lemon

salt

pepper

chili flakes

If you are soaking your beans for more than a night be sure to change the water every 12 hours or so. When ready to cook, rinse beans and place in a pan with plenty of water. No Salt! salt at this point keeps legumes from cooking well. bring to boil and cook till beans are tender. If there is still much water in the pot, drain most of it.  While beans are still hot add tomato, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt-pepper-chili. let cool, then add fresh herbs. Check seasoning and serve, or you can let this sit in the fridge- the beans will absorb the flavor. in fact, you could let the beans sit overnight without the fresh herbs and then add them the next day, to get the best of both worlds.

                                      

                                      

 

Broccoli Soup with Lemon and Mint

1 large broccoli, divided into florets, peel removed from stems

1 large leek, rinsed well and diced

4 cloves of garlic, halved

3 celery stalk, chopped

2 zucchinis, roughly chopped

small bunch of parsley

salt

pepper

olive oil

lemon juice

ribbon of lemon rind

a few tbsps mint leaves, cut into thin strips

warm about 5 tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Saute leek and garlic for about 2 mins, stirring occasionally. add celery, and zucchini, saute for about 2 more mins. add broccoli, cover with lid and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till broccoli turns a deep emerald green. add parsley, lemon rind, salt and pepper, cover with on liter of water ( or enough water to cover vegetables), cover with lid and bring to boil, cook only till broccoli is just cooked, and still green, and remover from heat. Blend soup with a hand blender. add lemon juice and mint, check seasoning and serve.
This would probably be good with a spoonful of yogurt of yogurt and some fresh mint and parsley as a garnish. I had it plain, and it was lovely. Enough lemon is important, it gives the soup an interesting twist.

 Happy 2012!