Egyptian Lentil Soup

 

Lentil soup will heal you. It will make you whole. And fix all your problems. And find you lasting love. And lower your cholesterol.  Ok, only the last statement has been scientifically tested, to my knowledge. Well, and to be even more fair, I should mention that I made this soup a couple of weeks ago, and it has yet to find me lasting love. But it totally fixed all my other problems. And it was delicious.

I went to the grocery store hoping to find brown lentils to make a lentil soup recipe by Martha Stewart, to tack on to the end of "Martha Stewart week" (a theme I may have to revisit...I didn't even do any paper crafts, or creatively set a dinner table!) Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!) the grocery store was out of both brown and green lentils, and only had red. Now anyone who is worth their salt in lentil-knowledge (does this sentence make anyone else chuckle a bit...I did while writing it, but that's probably just me) knows that brown and green lentils each keep their shape much more while cooking, while red lentils tend to be...fall apart-ish or mushy. So a soup like the one I had picked, which intended the lentils to hold up, would not be a great choice for substituting red lentils. That being said, even though mushy, red lentils are particularly delicious- just think of your favorite lentil heavy Indian dish.

So I got home intending to find a recipe for a soup using red lentils, and most of the other ingredients I had brought home with me. This is best part, guys. I got home to find my most recent Food & Wine Magazine open on the kitchen table. I hadn't read it yet, so one of my roommates must have been looking at it there. The page it was open to? Egyptian Red Lentil Soup. Seriously. It was a sign from somewhere. And besides the ingredients I had already picked out, the only other things it called for were things I had on hand, like lemon and plain yogurt, and certain spices. Meant to be.

So I made this soup. And I ate it. And it healed me.

Egyptian Lentil Soup
From Food & Wine Magazine February 2012


Special Equipment: A large soup pot (I used my beloved Mario Batali dutch oven, which is currently on sale, FYI), an immersion blender (though if you only have a standing blender you could blend this in batches*)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 pound tomatoes, seeded and diced  (I used a can of diced tomatoes. It worked out great)
•  2 cups red lentils (14 ounces)

•  Plain yogurt, lemon wedges and warm pita, for serving 

1. Start your cooking process by preparing a mirepoix-  heat the butter in the bottom of your pan, add the chopped onions and cook for a few minutes, then add chopped carrots and celery, and lastly garlic. Cook until both onions and celery become translucent and somewhat soft. About 5 minutes.

 2. Add the spices to the pot, and heat until fragrant

 3. Add the tomatoes to the pan

 4. Add the lentils and the water

 5. Simmer for 30 minutes or more, until the lentils become very soft. 
 6. Removing from heat, use your immersion blender* to blend the soup until smooth

 7. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt and a squeeze of lemon

 

Portobello & Red Pepper Burgers

This recipe is one of my favorite things to make come summer time. Marinating the portobellos even briefly in a balsamic vinaigrette leaves them with so much flavor, and a rich tender texture. Red peppers, grilled until soft, with a skin nearly blackened have such a sweet unmistakable flavor. Further toppings of a some caramelized onions, fresh basil and barbeque sauce, all on crusty grilled ciabatta rolls made this a home run of sweet and savory flavors. I melted a bit of sharp cheddar on my own, which was a great addition, but even without the flavors were complex and satisfying.

I have made this in the past either on a charcoal grill, or in a grill pan, both with great results. due to my current lack of outdoor grill I went with the grill pan method this particular time. I have made them with the addition of grilled eggplant, or arugula instead of the basil, or with fresh juicy tomatoes... Hard to think of combinations that wouldn't be delicious!

And the best part of this, to me, is that unlike some vegetarian alternatives to burgers, I personally don't miss the meat at all- this is as flavorful and rich, as well as filling. I'd take this over a burger most nights!

As with most sandwiches, a recipe hardly seems necessary. Just marinate a few mushrooms (I use my go to homemade balsamic dressing, made with oil, balsamic vinegar, whatever herbs I have on hand, a spoonful of mustard, and a sprinkle of sugar) and roast or grill until tender. I also grilled the red peppers and the bread. The sweet potato fries were a quick side to make as well, I peeled and cut my sweet potatoes into matchsticks, spread them out on a baking sheet with a bit of oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary, then stuck them in the oven until they were browned and soft.

Parmesan Polenta with Spinach

I had never made polenta from scratch before. Turns out I have no idea what I was waiting for- it is cheap, pretty quick, and simple. I mixed freshly grated parmesan, salt and fresh ground pepper, and a little extra butter into the mixture, but otherwise just stuck to the directions on the package.

I served it topped with a little bit of cooked spinach and onions, and had a healthy, flavorful lunch.

A few simple ingredients: corn meal (polenta/grits) butter, salt, and parmesan cheese. Also water, but I didn't photograph that part.

Have you made polenta before? All you have to do is combine coarsely ground corn meal (polenta) with salted water, and cook over steady heat while stirring until it becomes thick. After stirring in butter, grated cheese (if you wish), tranfer the mixture into an oiled shallow bowl and let it cool.

After some time to set, invert the bowl onto a plate to reveal your formed (firm) polenta.

I then decided to cut it into cubes, and pan fry them for a little crunch and browned edges.

As I mentioned above I served this with my basic go to vegetable side- wilted spinach. I simply cooked some onion and garlic in olive oil, added in the spinach until it had just wilted, and seasoned with salt, black pepper, red chili pepper flakes, and an additional sprinkle of shaved parmesan.

I can already tell this will become a go to lunch for me- I even took the leftovers in to work the next day and ate it again. Next up I will have to play around with making creamy polenta. Maybe shrimp and grits? I can't wait.

Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts

I am about to talk about something pretty controversial. I know it usually is best if you don't want to alienate your readership not to tread too often onto subjects like this one, and I really do hope my 5 (yes, 5) followers will still feel the same way about me and my blog after I say this.

So, I might as well come out with it: I think Brussels Sprouts are downright yummy. Yes, I know this is a very polarizing topic for many individuals. Some people love them, some people hate them, and yet other people don't eat them regardless of love or hate simply because they give them terrible gas (pardon my bluntness, dear readers). But I have to come right out and say, unless you fall into that third camp, you really should try these sprouts and give 'em another chance. Reduced balsamic vinegar, butter, a hint of brown sugar and the right amount of time in the oven turns these into tender, bright and sweet morsels that I eat up like candy. I even caught myself about to lick the last bits of sauce off the plate.


Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts

16 oz of Brussels Spouts (this is the standard size of one bag of fresh Brussels sprouts when I see them in the super market.), large ones cut in half top to bottom (so they stay together on the root and don't just fall apart as they would cut horizontally)
1 large onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Bring a quart of water to boil on the stove. while you wait for it to boil, slice your sprouts in half, and pick off any sad looking leaves as needed. add the sprouts to the boiling water and cook 5-10 minutes before removing and placing in a bowl of cold water.
3. While the sprouts blanch, dice the onion, and cook it in 1 TBS of butter in a small pan. cook until translucent, then add the minced garlic.
4. placed drained brussels sprouts into a glass or metal roasting pan, with half of the cooked onions, and about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar drizzled over. I also add a bit of the butter, cut into tiny pieces, for some liquid in the pan. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. add balsamic vinegar and remaining butter to remaining onions in pan, and heat over medium heat for the 15 minutes the brussels sprouts are cooking. This allows it to reduce and sweeten.
6. when the 15 minutes of time elapses, remove the brussells sprouts from the oven, pour over with your pan sauce, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Return to the oven and allow to roast for another 10 minutes.

This may not seem like the simplest way to cook brussels sprouts- is the blanching really necessary? Why not just let the balsamic reduce in the oven? All good questions, but what I have to say for myself is this: the timing actually works out quite well,  and each step in itself is pretty simple. Perhaps you could cut out the blanching and just increase the oven time and it would be fine. I am not really the premier expert on brussels sprouts, I admit. BUT, this way works, and comes out so yummy and sweet and not too raw/not too overcooked. So I say go with it. If you are like  me, it will make your heart sing. Sweet, sweet songs of Brussels Sprouts.

Also...one additional note I feel I must add: provided you are not going to serve this to vegetarians, if you have some bacon or panchetta in the house, good god throw it in there. You won't regret it.

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West African Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew

I made this stew the first time last winter. The flavors were so intriguing to me,when I saw the recipe I just had to try it. The primary ingredients of this soup are sweet potatoes and natural peanut butter, flavored with hot chile pepper, allspice, ginger and garlic, and garnished with fresh cilantro. Now doesn't that sound like a  refreshing, hearty and unusual combination of flavors?



Sweet Potato Peanut Stew
Adapted from this Eating Well recipe

2-4 medium sweet potatoes
1 TBS canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 can stewed tomatoes
1-2 small green chiles, seeds removed, diced
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
1 15 ounce can vegetable broth
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
fresh ground pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to garnish

1. First, partially cook the sweet potatoes. Doing this in the microwave saves a lot of time. Prick each one in a couple of places, and then place on a paper towel, and microwave individually for about 2 minutes each. After they have cooled removed the skin, and chop into 1 inch chunks.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot. Add onions and cook until translucent and just starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

3. Add in the stewed tomatoes, stock, green chiles, ginger and allspice. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add in the potatoes and peanut butter. Using a hand blender (or removing half of the soup at a time into a blender) puree the soup until mostly smooth. Thin with additional broth or water if desired (the picture above is a bit thicker than I usually serve this).

5. Garnish with Cilantro, serve.

White Eggplant Rollatini

Today I spent the afternoon at my friend Jamie's house, where we finally (after talking about and planning it for months) cooked together. It seems the two of us often talk about food and cooking, giving advice on what to make for dinner, or sharing our success stories (and failures) in the kitchen. We've tried to bake together before, when her daughter Lilly was younger, strapped into a baby carrier* Jamie was wearing. Baking while toting around a baby: apparently not so easy. We ended up switching from baking to arts and crafts projects on that occasion, which was only slightly easier, at least it didn't involve knives or a hot oven.

* I think it is worth noting here that in trying to find a more clear and succinct way to describe the across the chest style baby backpack I was informed by a visiting friend of one of my roommates that the name for a Native American baby carrier is a papoose. A google search informed me that "papoose" is also a name for this guy. Yeah. I was entertained.

Today, we had a mission. Make something that would use the white eggplant in her fridge, and some of the herbs growing so prolifically in her herb garden, that didn't require a trip to the grocery store for additional ingredients. After chatting for quite awhile about different eggplant recipes, and pouring through a number of cookbooks, we decided to make Eggplant Rollatini.

White eggplant is often smaller, and considered to be more tender and creamier than its purple counterparts. The way we prepared this, to be honest I couldn't tell the difference, but I can tell you: the final outcome was GOOD. And that is what mattered. This can absolutely be made with traditional purple eggplant, but the use of white eggplant made for a nice visual change from the usual and expected, which I have to admit I enjoyed. The fresh spinach we added is also not traditional in this dish, but we both thought it was a lovely addition, and the pop of green color was great.

We first dipped the sliced eggplant in a wash of egg and a splash of milk, then into herbed panko breading.

We pan-fried the breaded slices, and meanwhile prepared the filling, made up of Ricotta, Parmesan, finely minced garlic, and basil. Jamie has a lovely herb garden we picked the basil from right before it went into the dish.

Can't you just smell it? I love fresh basil. Basil says summer, and it says Italy. And fresh basil growing on a sunny porch, yearning to be picked, is just about one of the best things to inspire an afternoon of Italian cooking.

We also used the excess eggplant we had by chopping it into a tiny dice, cooking it in a bit of oil, and adding it (along with yet some more basil from the garden) to a jar of basic tomato sauce.

Next came the fun part.  We lined each slice of eggplant with a few leaves of spinach, added about a tablespoon of filling, and rolled, securing them each with a toothpick.

A sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, and the dish went into the oven for a bit, allowing us a bit of playtime (a happy relief for our cooking helper, who had been very good the entire time, sitting in her high chair and snacking on tomatoes and cheese while we worked).

Who could say no to that face? Come on, really?

The recipe:

Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach

for the eggplant:

3 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise into quarter inch or slightly thicker slices

1 egg and a splash of milk to dip

1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Italian dried herbs such as oregano, parsley and basil, plus salt and fresh ground pepper to your liking

For the filling:

1 3/4 cup Ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped or chiffonaded fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 clove minced garlic

For the sauce:

1 jar of basic tomato sauce

1/4 cup finely chopped of chiffonaded fresh basil

1 cup (or however much is left) diced eggplant

1 clove minced garlic

Additional ingredients:

1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

additional sprigs of fresh basil to garnish
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach

Directions:

1.Dip the eggplant slices in egg and then coat with herbed bread crumbs.

2. Pan fry in light oil until breading is brown and crispy. set aside.

3. Heat the sauce and additional ingredients over low heat for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine, and the diced eggplant to soften.

4. Combine the filling ingredients

5. Assemble the eggplant rolls, lining each fried eggplant slice with spinach, a tablespoon of ricotta filling, and then rolling, secure with a tooth pick.

6. Place the eggplant rolls in an oven safe dish over a thin layer of the tomato sauce from step 3.

7. sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the dish, bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

8. Try to remember to save some for dinner, even if you are tempted to eat it all during your initial "taste test" for that food blog you write. Take lots of pictures.

August is...

An email advertisement from eatingwell.com has recently alerted me that August is apparently National Olive Month. As it happens I have half a jar of Kalamata olives sitting in my fridge, awaiting their grand purpose (I used the other half in a delicious hearty Mediterranean vegetable pasta sauce I made a while back, I am hoping to wait for more hearty-pasta type weather before posting that one; who wants "hearty" when the humidity is at 75%?) and so I decided- why not observe national olive month like any patriotic American should?

As I thought about national olive month, I started to wonder what other grand and important holidays take place in the month of August that most of us have never heard of. A quick search through the interwebs informs me that August is also National Water Quality Month, Panini Month, Catfish Month, and Immunization Awareness Month. So in short, be sure this month to make the following recipe for an olive panino (yes, apparently the singular for panini, please correct me if I'm wrong), make sure to filter your water, perhaps go catfishing, and of course get up to date with your vaccines!

Some individual holidays that take place in August which may be worth noting include "Kiss and make up day" (August 25) "wiggle your toes day" (August 6th), "bad poetry day" (August 18) and "sneak some zucchini onto your neighbor's porch day" (August 8th). I plan to observe as many of these important holidays as I can, though I may need to bend some rules on "sneak some zucchini onto your neighbor's porch" day, as I live in an apartment building and my neighbors mostly do not have porches. That being said, to all my friends in the neighborhood: don't be surprised when a zucchini appears unexpectedly on August 8th on your porch/stoop/hallway/desk etc... Also, might as well go ahead and start bracing yourself for the bad poetry bound to be created (and perhaps read in public?) by yours truly on the 18th.



Summer Vegetable Panini with Homemade Olive Tapenade
Ingredients:  (for one sandwich)
2 slices of your favorite hearty sandwich bread (I used Trader Joe's San Francisco multigrain sourdough)
1 to 2 tablespoons olive tapanade (recipe to follow)
2 thick slices of eggplant
2 flat slices of red or yellow bell pepper (one quarter of pepper each, seeds, ribs, and core removed)
1 ounce fresh soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

note: There are tons of fun variations you could do here. The possibilities are endless, really. I will probably be eating panini with eggplant and olive tapenade all week, i have enough of the basic ingredients. Variations I plan to try include eggplant, olive, argula and grape tomatoes, and olive, eggplant and mozzarella. Have an idea for a combination that sounds good with these flavors? Tell me in the comments!

Homemade Olive Tapenade:
2.5 ounces pitted black kalamata olives
1 teaspoon capers
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

To make the tapenade: combine all ingredients in a food processor (or in a small sturdy bowl if you plan to use a hand blender) pulse until ingredients form a thick paste.

To make the panini:
Grill or roast the eggplant and bell pepper slices. Use the olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables before cooking. I did not have access to a grill, so I cooked them over high heat on a grill pan.

Spread the two slices of bread with first a thin layer of goat cheese and then a thin layer of tapenade. layer the eggplant and red pepper onto one slice and top to construct the sandwich. cook on the grill, in a panini press, or like I did on the grill pan weighted with an iron grill press for a few minutes until the bread is browned.

Happy August Everyone! How will you celebrate?

A Taste of Summer- Sweet/Savory Fruit Salad and a Southern Maine Adventure.

My extended family (including a few family members and many "should be family members" friends) took a trip recently to our favorite "BYO-everything but lobster" joint in Kittery point, Maine for father's day. The forecast in Boston called for unrelenting heat and possible thunderstorms, but Southern Maine was expected to have a lovely day in the high seventies. The group of 13 of us (Plus 3 dogs) caravaned out at 2pm, coolers loaded up with bread and cheese and hummus and crackers, and between the group of us not one but 4 salads (shepard's salad, corn and bean salad, an eggplant salad from The Family Resteraunt in Brookline, and my own watermelon-herb salad featured today). We arrived at the pier, snagged one of the only tables available, which happened to be under no cover whatsoever, and began to unpack. Tablecloths first, then out came the wine glasses and wine was poured for nearly everyone, then the cheeses and bread, chips, crackers and hummus, dishes of water for the dogs, we settled in as always as if we lived there.

It was hotter than the forecast had predicted, and temperatures near 90 and hot sun started to threaten the comfort of our planned perfect afternoon. Then it started to pour. We scrambled to put our food and belongings under cover of the giant picnic table, then ran to protect ourselves under the giant tent that sheilded the tables on the right side of the pier from the elements. It was a Sunday, and a holiday, and the place was pretty packed. There were not any tables to switch to in either of the covered areas. We asked our server if we would be able to switch when a table came available, and she checked with a manager and said it would be fine. Of course this isn't the first time we had been rained on out there, in fact we often joke about how we have gone to this outdoor establishment in every type of weather and still enjoyed ourselves. Rain, Sun, Cold, bring it on! We were cheerful to be spending time together as a group, and to be in such a beautiful part of the world, about to eat an abundance of fresh lobster and clams mere yards from where they may have been caught.

Luckily the rain subsided fairly quickly and we returned to our table, resetting it with tablecloths etc and opptimistically hoping the rain was over with for good. Of course it was not. At least the second time around the rain was more of a "heavy-shower" and less of a torrential downpour. We sat at our table, trying to be good sports, eating and getting rained on. The second rain cleared up quickly as well, and instead of leaving the air cooler and more comfortable, it was then hotter than ever, and in the direct sun many of us started to feel dizzy and sick from the heat. A table undercover had finally opened up. We asked if we could move to it and then started bringing over our food. (There is more to this story that involves getting yelled at mercilessly by the owner's son who has an awful temper, who said we couldn't move because that table was "reserved" even though they supposedly don't take reservations...but in the interest of keeping this short and semi-sweet I think I won't go into that).

Anyway, despite all the weather related setbacks (and even the wrath of the breifly mentioned owner's son) we enjoyed our day, and our lobster. Don't we all look cheerful (and dry) in this picture taken when we first arrived?

Watermelon-Herb Salad

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine*

Half of a large watermelon, cut into even cubes

1-2 Tablespoons each fresh chopped mint, basil and dill

1 lb of chopped heirloom tomatoes (I used 1 container of Trader joes mini heirlooms, each cut in half)

3 Naval Oranges, sliced into slivers, membrane cut off

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup sliced almonds, slightly toasted

1 1/2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

*Note: changes I have made to this recipe include removing the arugala originally called for (I had to make mine far in advance and didn't want wilty greens, so I cut them out all together) as well as removing the olive oil called for, and adding the addition of the naval oranges. The picture posted at the top of my salad does not include the toasted almonds, which with the chaos of the rain starting, I forgot to add in time for the picture!

I loved the fresh flavors of this salad, and my taste-testing roommates agreed it tasted like "pure summer". The best part? What could be easier to bring to a potluck, picnic or lobster pier?

Zucchini & Thyme Tart

Is this not gorgeous? I spent Saturday (as usual) at work. All day I couldn't stop thinking about food, I imagined all the recipes I might try when I got home, and day dreamed about cooking courses I could sign up for in the area, I mused over ingredients I could stop and buy on my walk home and new ways I could challenge myself. Part way through my work day, an old friend called me. We decided to have dinner together, and I was nearly ecstatic knowing I would have someone to cook for that night, an opportunity to try out one of the dishes I kept thinking about. I decided I wanted to make a savory tart. I looked at recipes for quite some time online, and even emailed one of my roommates and asked him to check my favorite cookbooks at home, but in the end I improvised. This zucchini & thyme tart is simple and elegant, and tastes just as good at room temp, so you can make it ahead, or even bring it to a potluck to one up the standard pasta salads.

I made the crust from scratch using the Flaky Pie Crust recipe by Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything, which is quickly becoming one of my most trusted resources; I made the filling by mandolin slicing zucchini which I then quickly sauteed with olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and dried herbs, and layering it with finely shredded Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. The outcome was savory and delicious, not to mention beautiful. And each step of the process was pretty easy.

Zucchini & Thyme Tart

Flaky Pie Crust (from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary

Zucchini Filling:
3 medium Zucchini
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere cheese- packed very loosely
1/2 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan or Parmesan, Ramano, Asiago blend
Grape tomatoes (halved) to garnish (optional)


Combine the flour salt and sugar for the crust in a food processor, and pulse twice. add the butter chopped into small pieces, pulse until blended. the mixture should look very granular, pour into a bowl and add the ice water, and use your fingers to combine until you can roll it into a ball. refrigerate and then roll out following the directions from Mark Bittman in the link above.

Slice the zucchini into thin oblong pieces using a mandoline slicer if you have one, if not slice as thinly as you can by hand.

In a large bowl, pour half the olive oil over the zucchini, and add the salt, pepper, dried herbs and half of the chopped thyme. combine in the bowl so that the zucchini are evenly coated in oil and herbs. In a large pan, heat the remaining oil and add the clove of garlic, chopped finely. add 1/2 of the remaining tablespoon of fresh thyme to the oil, and allow to cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. add the herbed and oiled zucchini to the pan, and over high heat saute for no more than 5 minutes.

Assembling the tart:

Preheat oven to 375.
start by laying a thin layer of shredded Gruyere into the bottom of the refrigerated pie crust. Over this, begin to lay the zucchini, starting from the center of the tart, in a single circular layer- overlapping each end in an outward direction until the bottom of the tart crust is completely covered. Cover this layer with a second layer of Gruyere and a thin layer of Parmesan. Create a second layer of zucchini using the same method as the first. and another layer of Gruyere and Parmesan. Lay down a third layer of Zucchini and then top with the remaining gruyere and parmesan, sprinkle on the remaining Thyme and garnish with the grape tomatoes, sliced side up.

Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until both crust and cheese is golden.

Make this dish a light summer meal by pairing it with a salad and white wine, or eat a slice as a side or appetizer. 

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

On Saturday night a good friend of mine came to visit while in town for the MTELS. As it happens she is vegan, so I ended up searching through my cookbook collection for a recipe that both fit her vegan lifestyle, and was interesting enough for me to want to eat as well. While I respect those that choose veganism, the issue I always encounter is saying goodbye to the foods I love in exchange for what is sometimes boring food. This is not to say that I think vegan food is boring, just that it can be. So, as I searched, I ruled out those recipes that tried to imitate traditional meat or dairy products, and picked a simple dish I was quite excited about trying despite its lack of egg, dairy or meat.  The recipe I chose was the "Quick Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili" from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas, a recent gift from my cousin Anika.

With a short ingredient list, and quick cook time, this was the perfect last minute week night meal. Sure, Saturday isn't a week night by most standards, but as I work Saturdays and come home tired and with limited time, I would say this counts as weekday cooking as well as any other night.(Though to be fair, the amount of wine that was imbibed, and the eventual impromptu dance party- yes, that happened-, was not so very typical of a week night)



This dish was pure comfort. Sweet potatoes, sauteed onions, lots of garlic, vibrant red bell pepper, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, mild chili peppers and wholesome black beans came together in a very balanced way. This was not a spicy dish, though I could have chosen to make it so, but I found the complexity of the flavors to be interesting enough with out much of a kick (imagine that, I love hot food). This was also easily prepared in about 25 minutes, then left to sit for a little over an hour and reheated. Since I got home at 5:15 and got right to work, this was perfect timing for a 7:30pm meal. I served this dish with a side of red quinoa and a salad of butter and radicchio lettuces with fresh herbs and homemade vinaigrette.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chilli
Adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas
Serves 4 liberally
1 onion
2-3 cloves of garlic (I used 3 very large cloves)
2 large sweet potatoes ( or 4 small ones if you are shopping at Trader Joes where for some reason their sweet potatoes are always small...)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes(I used the Trader Joe's "fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies"- and suggest it!)
1 can mild green chilies, or 1 green chili seeds and insides removed
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro + 2 more tbsp to garnish
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cups of water or vegetable broth

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the tbsp of olive oil. Chop and add the onion and allow to cook until translucent. Dice the garlic and add, covering pot and cooking for another 5-10 minutes until onion and garlic are golden.

Meanwhile... microwave the sweet potatoes- I found my smaller potatoes needed no more than 1.5 minutes on high, but larger ones can be given up until 2-3 minutes (you don't want them too soft, as they still will cook a little more at a later point- if in doubt microwave less, and avoid mushiness). Puncture in several places with a fork, and heat on a paper towel. Allow to cool. When cool enough to hold, peel the skin, and dice the potatoes into 1 1/2 cubes. Set aside.

Chop and add the red bell pepper, also add the beans, tomatoes, green chili pepper, cumin, oregano, and water/broth at this time.

Allow to cook for 10 minutes before adding the sweet potato and chopped fresh cilantro. Let cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, then cool and reheat, or serve right away. Garnish with more fresh cilantro if you wish.

Simple, flavorful, hearty, nutritious (don't forget that sweet potatoes are a SUPERFOOD- we all should eat more of those, right?), this was perfect for a rainy night in with company, and had their been any left overs, they would have been a happy addition to my next day's lunch.

Tortilla Soup with summer squash

I have just returned from Southern California and I have Mexican food on the mind. Nothing to remind you how far from the border Boston is like eating authentic Mexican food in a place much, much closer. Southern California is littered with hole-in-the-wall taco joints, hiding behind nondescript facades in strip malls and street corners, some even have drive-throughs. A taco or enchilada at one of these unimpressive looking eateries is bound to outshine that of a well known chain or east coast hotspot.

While in Southern California, I didn't get many chances to eat the Mexican food seducing me from freeway roadsides, rather as I was visiting family we were almost always full from eating homemade comfort food including my Great Aunt Lois's biscuits and gravy, grilled sausage and corn on the cobb, fresh-from-the-chicken-coop egg scrambles, cornbread, cooked chard and beans. All of this was wonderful, and certainly soulful food, and perhaps at a later date I will post more specifically about some of these foods, and maybe try and create some myself. But today I am craving some spicy Mexican food. It seems one place where these food traditions meet- comfort food, Mexican flavors and southwest traditions, is represented well by an easy but flavorful dish- Tortilla Soup.



I had somewhat recently a pretty good version of a tortilla soup- it was light and flavorful, and full of fresh seasonal vegetables, making it a perfect early summer soup. (Yes in Boston it is currently far from summer, but forgive me, I have just returned from the land of summer all year round) I compared a few recipes found online and in cookbooks, and  had trouble finding one that fit the bill for exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to make a vegetarian version that featured fresh flavors including summer squash and bell pepper. I at first decided to replace the protein in the original dish; pinto or black beans in place of the chicken, but as i cooked the soup, I began to feel that the beans did not belong. I decided to prepare them on the side instead. And yes, I am well aware that the final product may not be exactly authentic. But it's good!



 Tortilla Soup with Summer Squash
A potentially vegan recipe*
Serves 8


1 can whole or diced tomatoes, if whole, mash before use
1 can enchilada sauce, or 3/4 cup homemade- see note*
1 chopped yellow summer squash
1  zucchini, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1medium green chile pepper, cored and seeded, chopped. (taste to test hotness, and adjust amount and other spices as needed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carton vegetable broth (or 2 cups)
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 package frozen corn (I suggest Trader Joes roasted frozen corn)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more to garnish
Juice of  2 limes


for tortilla strips:
Corn tortillas, cut into thin strips, no more than 2 1/2 inches long
Vegetable oil
Sea Salt

Optional  additional garnishes:
Avocado slices
sour cream* (clearly not vegan)
lime slices
fresh cilantro

*please note: check the ingredients of the enchilada sauce if you choose to buy it canned rather than make your own, some contain meat products/stock. You can find an easy to make vegetarian enchilada sauce recipe here.

I made this in the slow cooker simply out of necessity-  when I came home from work, ready to cook (I picked up groceries at the whole foods near my office, and they survived rush hour on the T- I wass a little worried what all the body heat from the crowded train would do to my fresh cilantro!) my roommate's mother was preparing a lobster dinner in our kitchen (which was great, I was lucky enough to join them) and all the large pots were already being used. This could also be cooked on the stove top in a stock pot or dutch oven if you don't have a slow cooker. I chose to prepare this over the course of 2 nights, to make it easy to get it taken care of after work.

Chop the onion and brown in a bit of oil for 5 minutes. Add to the bottom of your slow cooker. chop and add the bell pepper, garlic and chile pepper at this time. add the canned tomatoes, enchilada sauce and stock. juice the lime directly into the slow cooker or pot as well, and add the spices. Cook for three hours on low.

The above is the portion I did the first night, and I set the inside dish from the slow cooker in the refrigerator overnight. This morning before work I  chopped and added the zucchini and summer squash, so they can sit in the soup stock during the day in the fridge. In the evening the last step is to cook for an additional 2.5 hours on low, or up to 2 hours on high. You can also, of course, do this all at once, cooking for a total of about 6 hours on low, and adding the squash in half way through, so that they maintain a somewhat firm texture at the end.

Lastly, the homemade tortilla chips to top the soup, the item that gives this dish its name. I have seen a few ways mentioned to do this, frying in a traditional fryer (which i do not have) frying in a stove top pan, and baking in the oven. I decided to experiment and see which method turned out the best. Just in case I had a bag of store bought tortilla chips on hand if my attempts led to failure.

Luckily, the fried variety turned out excellent, a little time in a wok with hot canola oil (literally only a minute or two to get crispy and brown) then fished out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel covered plate, and  a good sprinkle of sea salt and they were excellent.The baked variety- brushed with a little oil and salt, and put on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees until brown- were a bit disappointing, not nearly as crispy or flavorful, but in the end,  were an ok healthy alternative. You decide.

the soup turned out flavorful and spicy, and much more filling than expected due to the wealth of squash, zucchini and corn. Yum!