glacier grist

Issue #54 • Wednesday, January 20, 2010

carrot puree with kalamata olives

(contributed by Nancy)
So far everything I have made out of this cookbook has received a very very good or excellent.  I’m very excited about my holiday present!  This is from Gourmet Today. The recipe can easily be cut in half.

2 pounds carrots, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
2 garlic cloves, peeled
salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup chicken stock (low sodium)
½ cup pitted kalamata or other brine –cured black olives, sliced
freshly ground black pepper

1.  Cover carrots and garlic with salted water (1 tablespoon salt) by 1 inch in saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil, partially covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain well.
2.  Puree carrots and garlic with butter and stock in a blender or food processor until very smooth.  Transfer puree to saucepan, add olives, and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, just until hot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook’s notes:  If you want a chunkier consistency, use your food processor. I have also done it without butter and didn’t notice a big difference.

braised hearty winter greens

(contributed by Alison)
You’ll be surprised by the sweetness of your greens if you make them this way.  If you have chard instead of kale, skip the par-boiling step.

1 bunch kale or collards, or rainbow chard, long stems removed and leaves cut into 1” ribbons. If you have chard, chop the stems into ½-inch dice.
sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ to 1 onion, chopped fairly fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes

1. Plunge the kale or collards (skip this step if you have chard) into a large pot of boiling salted water, and cook until tender. This could take as long as 10 minutes, but start tasting after 5 minutes. (Boiling in salted water removes any bitterness from the kale or collards.) Reserve one cup of the cooking water.
2. Drain the greens in a colander.
3. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions with a teaspoon of salt until lightly browned. If you have chard, add the stems to the onions and sauté them along with the onions. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for another couple of minutes. Add the greens (the chard raw, the other greens parboiled) and the reserved cooking water (or use a cup of vegetable broth or bean-cooking liquid). Cook for 15 to 30 minutes on low heat (the shorter time for chard), until they are lovely, soft and sweet, and taste again for salt. They can really use a lot of salt, so don’t be shy about adding it until it’s well-seasoned.

indian spiced cauliflower soup

(contributed by Nancy)
Mark Bittman is one of my favorite food writers.  His book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarianis not just for vegetarians, but for anyone who wants to have a cornucopia of reliable recipes to choose from. 

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
salt and pepper
½ cup white wine
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup yoghurt
cilantro for garnish(optional)

1.  Heat a soup pot to medium and add oil to pan. Add garam masala and cumin and stir for 30 seconds.
2.  Add garlic, onion, and cauliflower plus a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir regularly until onions are soft - about 10 minutes. Add wine and cook down for a minute or two.
3.  Add stock, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until cauliflower is very tender, 15-20 minutes.
4.  Cool slightly and put through blender. Return to pot on low heat and whisk in yoghurt.
4.  Taste and correct for seasoning. Serve topped with cilantro and pepper.

Cook’s note:  If you don’t have garam masala, you can substitute curry powder.  If you are not familiar with it and like the flavor of curry powder you will love it!  Garam means “hot” or “heating” and masala means “spice blend.” But there are lots of garam masala spice blends ranging in heat.  Check out Summit Spice & Tea Co., here in Anchorage or their website www.summitspiceandtea.com.

buttermilk mashed potatoes

(contributed by Nancy)
Buttermilk is one of those overlooked ingredients.  Bakers know that it adds tenderness to cakes and cooks know that it can be that secret ingredient that adds richness without a lot of fat.  From Roy Finamore with Molly Stevens’ One Potato Two Potato.

1 ½ - 1 ¾ lbs yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks
salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾-1 cup buttermilk, heated
freshly ground black pepper

1.  Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by at least an inch, and a good pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.  Cover partway, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the potatoes are truly tender.
2.  Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot, and put them back over the heat to dry.  Shake the pan and stir until the potatoes are floury and have made a film on the bottom of the pan.  Turn the heat to very low.
3.  Roughly mash the potatoes with a hand masher – you’ve left the skins on so don’t obsess.  Stir the butter into the potatoes with a sturdy wooden spoon.
4.  Add the buttermilk in small additions, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring first, then beating vigorously once the buttermilk has been absorbed.  You may not use all the buttermilk; it depends on how thirsty the potatoes are and how loose you want the mash.
5.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

roasted delicata squash spears

(contributed by Nancy)
I first saw this recipe on Recipezaar.com, but have tweaked it a bit. I know you can eat the skin and if you want to, please do.  I found that I liked the skins; family, not so much.  If you slice the spears thinly, being more like fries, they will cook much faster.

2 delicata squash, about 1 lb each
nonstick cooking spray or olive oil

For sweet squash:  2 teaspoons brown sugar
1-2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt to taste
For savory squash:  2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons chili powder, salt to taste
For spicy squash:  salt to taste, cayenne to taste, ketchup, for dipping

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2.  Wash the squash thoroughly.  Cut the hard ends off squash, and peel if you want.  Cut them in half.
3.  Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Cut each half into wedges or more thinly like fries. Remember! They will cook much faster if you cut the spears thinner.
4.  Place the squash wedges on a cookies sheet lined with foil or parchment paper (it saves in the clean up time) and drizzle a little olive oil on the squash, and sprinkle on your seasonings.
5.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

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