recipes
for glacier grist Issue #64
carrot and tahini soup with pita chips
(contributed by Nancy)
I saw this recipe in the New York Times food section recently and it combined two of my favorites, carrots and tahini, so I had to try it. I loved all the spices in it and the fresh herbs really make it fresh and lively!
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for pita chips
1 fat leek (or 2 slim ones), white part only, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 quart vegetable broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
2 pita breads, each cut into 16 wedges
1/3 cup tahini
fresh lemon juice, to taste
grated lemon zest, for garnish
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint
1. In a soup pot over medium heat, pour in oil, then add leek and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, turmeric and cayenne, and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add carrots and stir to coat them with leek mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then add broth, thyme, if using, and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush pita wedges with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake until brown and crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
4. When carrots are tender, turn off heat and let soup cool for 10 minutes. Remove thyme branches and stir in tahini. Using either an immersion blender, standard blender or food processor, purée soup until smooth. Return to pot and reheat if necessary. Taste and add lemon juice and more salt if desired.
5. Serve soup garnished with the lemon zest, cilantro and pita wedges.
bean and swiss chard soup
(contributed by Nancy)
I really hope you use the anchovy fillets! I always freeze the rest of the fillets in the tin in a zipper bag and have them at the ready when I need them. When you sauté them they melt and no one will know they are in the soup, but they will know it tastes absolutely delicious. I know the recipe is Italian in origin, but don’t know where it originated.
½ pound Swiss chard or kaleor combination, trimmed
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus additional to taste
2 flat anchovy fillets
¼ teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves or dried
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 cup cooked small white beans or drained and rinsed canned beans
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup small shell macaroni
freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving
1. In a medium saucepan, cook the chard with ½ cup water and the alt over medium heat until tender. Drain the chard, reserving any liquid that remains. Coarsely chop the chard.
2. Very finely chop anchovies together with the rosemary.
3. In a medium saucepan, stir together the oil and garlic over medium high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is pale gold, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the anchovies and rosemary. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Discard the garlic. Stir in the chard and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to thoroughly coat it with the oil. Stir in the beans. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in the macaroni. Boil for 6 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
6. Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.
turnip and potato patties recipe
(contributed by Nancy)
This is from Gourmet Magazine (1985) via simplyrecipes.com. I like turnips, so I was a little disappointed that their taste was not as pronounced. So if you need to sneak them into something, this works great.
1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 oz potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
2 1/2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
grapeseed oil, peanut oil, or canola oil (high smoke point vegetable oils)
salt and pepper
1. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the turnip and potato cubes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are tender, and drain them. In a bowl, mash them with a fork and stir in the scallions, the egg, flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet with about 1/4-inch of the oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer, but not smoke. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of the turnip potato batter into the pan, flattening them into 1/2-inch thick patties with the back of a spatula. Fry the patties until they are golden, turning them once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to paper towels to drain off excess oil.
Cook’s note: I prefer to steam the turnips; they tend to hold less water than boiling them.
red devil chocolate cake (with secret beets)
(contributed by Alison)
This great recipe is based on one from Moosewood restaurant book of desserts. The cake doesn’t taste at all like beets once it’s baked because of all the cocoa powder in it, but the beets add a great depth of flavor and moistness. It’s a relatively healthy and very delicious cake!
14 ounces roasted, peeled beets
½ cup water
2 eggs, or 1 egg + 2 egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ to ½ cup oil (depending on how low-fat you want to go)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1. Grease and flour the pan(s): either two 8” round baking pans (for a small layer cake) or one 10” pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roast and peel the beets:
a. Put whole, unpeeled beets in a baking dish or dutch oven and put ¼” of water in the dish. Cover tightly with foil or the lid of the dutch oven and bake them at 400 degrees (or whatever temperature you happen to be baking something else) until tender when stabbed with a paring knife. Usually they take at least an hour, but young beets might be quicker, depending on their size.
b. Remove from the oven and let them cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip their skins off.
3. In a blender, puree the beets and ½ cup water. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs well. Thoroughly whisk in the sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, and beet puree until very smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, whisking until smooth.
5. Pour the batter into prepared baking pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. The two layer cakes might take as little as 30 minutes, and the one 10” round will probably take at least 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting with your choice of frosting, or just dust with powdered sugar.