Dippity Do

Of my many, many vices, just about the only one I’m about to discuss on a blog my father reads is dip.

Yeah. You know: Dip. Those creamy, drippy, fatty, spread-y tasty substances served at social gatherings to help the addictive potato chips and tortilla crisps go down our gullets that much easier (which is exactly what we ALL need, isn’t it?)

From guacamole to chili con queso; from pretentious truffled-white-bean dip to proletarian Lipton Onion Dip… (And can we count chopped liver? Yes! Let’s count chopped liver!) I’ve never met a dip I couldn’t love. Which can be somewhat problematic (see “creamy” and “fatty” above). So imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered a dip (in the first Barefoot Contessa Cookbook) that I can eat without even a dollop of guilt and can serve to just about ANYONE on the planet because it’s vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, low-fat, low-cal, high fiber, not terribly high in sodium, Halal and kosher for Passover. (Okay, that last one's not a huge concern in August, but go ahead and bookmark this, because come April you’re going to wish you remembered where you saw it.)   

But never mind how healthful it is, this dip is really, really delicious. And easy to make. And a great way to use up the peppers and eggplants that were in my CSA box this week. And it'll last for at least a week in an air-tight container in the fridge.

The original recipe calls for a tablespoon of tomato paste, but I skip it, because I hate being left with the rest of the can. So, here’s what I do:

Preheat the oven to 450.

Cut 1 large or 2 medium eggplants into 1-inch cubes.

Slice 1 red onion and 2 sweet red peppers.

Peel 2-3 garlic cloves.

Spread the veggies out on 2 cookie sheets (Don’t try to fit them all on one; everything will end up steaming instead of roasting if it's too crowded.)

Drizzle with a few Tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with a little coarse salt. Toss to coat the veggies with the oil.

Roast for 20 minutes. Stir the veggies around and roast for 10-20 minute more (checking often) until the edges of the pieces start to brown but don’t start to burn.

Let cool completely. (Be patient. Cooling the veggies before you puree them is safer, and letting the steam escape prevents the dip from becoming watery.)

If the vegetables seem oily, blot them with a piece of paper-towel, the way some folks do with pizza.

Puree (the veggies, not the Bounty) in a food processor or with a stick blender.

Add freshly ground black pepper and more salt to taste. Serve with crackers or fresh cut up veggies or wedges of toasted pita bread.     

Shakshuka Shake-Up

Last Friday, out of the blue, my husband and I were talking about a lunch we had 11 years ago at a Tel Aviv restaurant called Dr. Shakshuka.

On Saturday, my copy of a fabulous new(ish) cookbook called Plenty came from Amazon, and there on page 87 was a recipe for the Dr.’s very own shakshuka, an Israeli dish of tomatoes, peppers and onions with eggs fried on top. 

On Sunday, our friend Todd, who is in Israel with his family, uploaded a picture of his lunch to Facebook. What was he eating? Mm-hhm: Shakshuka.

So when I opened my CSA box on Tuesday and took out tomatoes, peppers and onions, I got the hint.

The Plenty Shakshuka recipe calls for a bunch of things I didn’t have on hand (saffron, fresh thyme, whole cumin seeds); a few things I had but didn’t really envision liking in this dish (Moroccan preserved lemons, sugar) and one thing I can’t serve my husband without having to look at his sad, “don’t-you-love-me-anymore?” pout (namely cilantro, which I love and he loathes). On the other hand, I had things I wanted to use up (a zucchini from last week’s CSA box; some of the za’atar my Israeli friend smuggled through customs for me a few months ago) that seemed like they’d enhance the dish.

So, with apologies to Doctor Shakshuka, here’s Ms. Kleinman's version: 

Heat ½ Cup olive oil (yes, that much) in a large skillet. Add ½ teaspoon dried cumin.

When the oil starts to bubble, add 3 large onions, cut into half-moon slices, and two garlic cloves, minced. Sautee over high heat until onions and garlic are golden, about 10 minutes.

Add 4 sweet red or yellow peppers, (or a combination of the two), cut into strips, and one zucchini, julienned. Add 1 Tablespoon za’atar, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper (or a few drops of hot sauce), and cook for another 10 minutes. If you don't have za'atar, leave it out or substitute some fresh or dried thyme and/or oregano.

Add 8 smallish tomatoes, (or 4 big ones, or whatever) chopped, and cook the whole mess down until it has the consistency of a chunky pasta sauce, not a soup.  

At this point, you can proceed or wait a while.

A few minutes before you’re ready to eat, make sure the pan and the sauce are really hot, and carefully crack 8 eggs into it. (You can make little spaces for them, or cook them right on top of the veggies.) Cook over medium heat just until the whites are set.

Eat with lots of crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Serves  4 VERY hungry people. For two, either halve the recipe, or make all of the the veggie sautee and save half of it in the fridge or freezer for another day and proceed using just 4 eggs.

B’tayavon! (that’s how Dr. Shakshua says Bon Appetit!”)

Z is for Zucchini

The avalanche has begun! Last week’s CSA box held a single zucchini. (Is one a zucchino?) This week there were three, which means next week there’ll be five or nine (depending on which algorithm Mother Nature is using), and the week after that, nine or 27 summer squash.  

Okay, I get extra points for using “algorithm” in a cooking blog.

In any case, it’s clear that if I don’t use my zucchini as quickly as they come in, I’m soon going to feel like Lucy Ricardo in the chocolate factory. 

But that’s okay. I happen to love zucchini. They’re great roasted in the oven or grilled on the barbecue, perfect on top of make-your-own pizza, and, of course, yummy baked into muffins and breads.

But the favorite zucchini recipe of all, in our house, is this easy, delicious side dish. It’s healthful (and gluten free. And vegan)… even better the day after you make it, and highly versatile. Here’s what you do:

In a large skillet over medium heat, sautee 2 medium onions, diced, in some good olive oil. (Use enough so that the squash doesn’t stick, but don’t drown it.) Cook until the onions start to caramelize.

Add 3 zucchini, diced, and about ½ a teaspoon of salt. Cook until the zucchini is cooked through and starts to brown at the edges, but don’t let it get too dark.

Taste and add more salt if needed, and toss in a handful (or two) of chopped, fresh dill, and a handful of toasted, chopped walnuts or pine nuts.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is delicious as a side dish, but if you pulse it a bit in the food processor, it’s also a great spread for toast or crackers – or use it to top slices of roast or grilled polenta. You can leave out the nuts and fold it into an omelet (with some soft goat cheese, if you like that and are NOT a vegan) or put it over pasta -- goat cheese, parmesan or feta optional.

Summertime, and the Pasta is Easy

The first of our CSA tomatoes are in… and as anyone who has ever grown tomatoes (or has ever known anyone who has known anyone who’s grown tomatoes) can tell you, we’ll soon be drowning in them. So, while they’re delicious eaten whole (just like apples), or sliced on sandwiches, it’s good to have a few go-to recipes for using tomatoes up wholesale.

This pasta dish is my family’s summertime favorite, and it takes only as long to make as a pot of penne. Serves 4 very hungry people, or 6 people who have lost their appetites to the heat.

Put a large pot of well-salted water up to boil, and when it’s ready, dump in a box of penne rigatte.

While the pasta cooks, core, seed and dice 6-8 tomatoes. Mix with 1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced fine, and a handful of basil, finely chopped.  Add salt to taste.

When the pasta is ready, drain well and toss with a little bit of good olive oil.

Divide the pasta among four (or five or six) bowls. Mix some of the tomato salad into each, and top with a large dollop of part-skim ricotta cheese. (A one-pint container will give you more than enough.) Stir, so that the ricotta gets warm and a little melt-y.

Top with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

... To a Crisp

Our CSA is vegetables-only right now, and I’m nuts for summer fruits. So the other day, I bought some supermarket peaches…

They were gorgeous.

So voluptuous…

So rosy…

So ENTIRELY disappointing. Sigh...

Oh, well. Into every life, some substandard fruit must fall. But as long as you have the ingredients for fruit crisp on hand, you can always turn disappointment into dessert and avoid wasting produce.

I like to make a big bag of the topping and keep it in the freezer, so that I can use it when I'm stuck with imperfect peaches, not-so-hot nectarines or just waaaay too many blueberries.

Here’s the basic recipe for a big batch of topping, enough for several family-sized fruit crisps:

Cut two sticks of very cold butter into ¼” cubes.

In a food processor on the pulse setting, add in

1 ½ Cups Flour,

1 Cup (uncooked) old fashioned rolled oats,

1 Cup brown sugar,

¼ Cup white sugar,

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

a  6- ounce bag of shelled pecan pieces (1.5 Cups.)

Pulse until crumbly but not dough-like.

If you want, you can use the topping right away, but it will also refrigerate for a few days, or freeze for up to several months. Just keep it in a Ziploc bag with the extra air squeezed out.

To bake the fruit crisp:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut pitted fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines) into chunks about 1” square, or use whole blueberries or half cherries. Feel free to mix and match depending on what you have on hand. If you're using an 8-9" pie pan or baking dish, you'll need about 6 large peaches, 8-9 plums, or 2 pints or so of blueberries. You can also make just a couple of individual crisps in ramekin dishes, or a giant one for a party in a lasagna-sized baking dish. (That's the beauty of being able to stick your hand into a big bag of topping and use exactly the amount you need.)

Place fruit in dish, filling to just above the rim, and toss with a few tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar. Toss in some cinnamon if you want, too. (My six peaches took 2 Tablespoons of confectioner's sugar.)

Cover fruit with a layer of topping about ¾” thick. Pat the topping down so that it sticks, but don’t compact it into a crust.

Bake for 1 hour (or 45 minutes for little ramekin dishes). If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Serve warm or at room temperature, and if you want to top it with ice cream, go right ahead.

Note: leftover crisp should be refrigerated. Reheat it briefly before serving; otherwise it’ll be more of a “sog” than a “crisp.” 

Getting Dressed

The folks who run our CSA are enjoying a bumper crop of lettuce this summer -- which means our weekly boxes (and my refrigerator) have been full of the green, leafy stuff. And while there's no lunch I enjoy more than a fresh-made Caesar salad swathed in creamy, eggy dressing... blanketed in grated cheese and generously decorated with fried croutons... I've got my annual physical coming up, and I'd really like to score lower on the triglyceride test than I did on my SATs.

Yes, I know the supermarket shelved are full of low-fat dressings, but most of them are full of sugar and chem-lab compounds. And plain oil-and-vinegar is healthy enough... but about as exciting as watching spackle dry. So instead, I’ve been tinkering with different combinations of heart-healthier oils, vinegars and flavorings, and have come up with a few dressings tasty enough that my salads don't have to swim in them to be flavorful. Here are two that I've especially enjoyed. The recipes make about 3/4 of a cup each -- plenty for several salads -- and will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Soy-Ginger-Orange Dressing

In a blender or food processor, combine

½ Cup toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar*
1 Tablespoon mirin (rice wine; Eden brand has no added sugar)*
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon-size piece fresh ginger (about 1” piece)
1 teaspoon-sized piece fresh garlic (1 small or half a large clove)
pinch cayenne pepper

Strain (so that you don’t end up chewing on apiece of raw garlic) into an air-tight jar or container.

To turn a salad with this dressing into a full meal, add strips of cooked chicken or cubes of baked tofu.
*If you like Asian food, these are good ingredients to have on hand. They’ll keep almost indefinitely in the fridge.



Lemon-Mint Dressing

In a blender, food processor or jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine:
½ Cup olive oil
1/3 Cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2 Tablespoons mild honey
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Great on a salad with lots of tomatoes, cukes and red onion. To make it a meal, add some chickpeas and/or a bit of crumbled feta cheese.

“Waste Not, Want This” Tip:
If you buy a typical supermarket-size bunch of mint to make this dressing, you’ll be left over with a good bit of it. Brew up a big batch of tea, let the mint steep in it and chill for refreshing mint iced tea.

Cream of the Crop

Modified food starch.

Hydrolized corn gluten.

Autolyzed yeast.

Dextrose.

No, that's not the answer key to your high-school chemistry final. It’s the ingredient list on a box of Birds Eye frozen creamed spinach.

Makes the 15 minutes it takes to whip up a batch from scratch seem like time well spent, doesn’t it?

But there was no spinach in this week’s CSA delivery, so I made creamed kale instead. Here’s how.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter.

Add 3 cloves garlic, finely minced. Sautee till garlic just starts to turn color, 2-3 minutes.

Add 3 cups finely-chopped kale leaves. (Discard the tough stems.) Cook, stirring frequently, until kale is well wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add 6 Tablespoons (about a 1/3 cup) cream. Cook until kale is very soft and cream is just about all incorporated/evaporated, about another 5 minutes. Add salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste.

Makes two smallish but very rich servings. Recipe size is easily adjusted up or down, depending on how much kale you have. (Each cup of raw, chopped kale takes 1 garlic clove, 1 T butter and 2 T cream.) 

And if you don’t have kale, go ahead and use baby spinach. It cooks even more quickly, and will be ready in just a few minutes more than it would take you to nuke up a box of Clarence Birdseye's Chemistry Project.