Grilled Goat Cheese Mini-Sandwiches, December 6, 2016

The other night, we had a salad and sandwich supper. But what a salad! And what sandwiches! I made mini-sandwiches by putting goat cheese and apple butter on baguette slices, then cooking them like you do a regular grilled cheese sandwich. They were terrific! The salad was endive, separated and arranged on a salad plate with some roquefort, pear slices, and walnuts. I topped the salad with a dressing made of 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, a good grinding of pepper, and 1/2 c. olive oil, whisked until it emulsified. To make the meal more hearty, I added a side of Yukon Gold potatoes fried in olive oil with oregano, salt, & pepper.

Green Bean Salad with Walnuts, Fennel, and Goat Cheese

When I had my annual valentine-making party this year, I made a wonderful green bean salad. I promised to share the recipe with the Wild Mango Queens, but thought I might as well share it here on the blog, as well. I also served a quiche Lorraine from the grocery and some red Twizzlers. The latter have been a valentine-making party staple ever since my friend, Joe, brought some to one of the parties way back in the 1990s. I always think of him with a smile when I put them out for my guests. He showed up at the door that night looking so handsome and Valentine-y, in a pink dress shirt and tie, Twizzlers in hand. Desserts this year were supplied by Sue, who brought black bottom cupcakes, and Meghan, who brought a lemon trifle.

Green Bean Salad with Walnuts, Fennel, and Goat Cheese

1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

A pinch of salt

A good grinding of pepper

1/3 c. olive oil

2 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved

1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced into half-moons

3/4 c. walnuts, toasted

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Whisk mustard, vinegar, salt, & pepper together. Gradually whisk in oil. Cook green beans about 7 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry, then mix with fennel and nuts. Add goat cheese and dressing just before serving, gently tossing to coat everything evenly. Serves 8-10. 

Sour Cream Potato Soup, April 17, 2015

Last week, I made two very mediocre soups. In Jeannene's opinion, I made two inedible soups. This potato soup was the second one. For me, this was the worse of the two. I didn't like the tanginess of the sour cream or the texture, which seemed too silky. Jeannene says it would have been great, but for the caraway. In case any of y'all might actually love it, I am including the recipe. But be warned that it's 2-thumbs-down from our household. I've adapted the recipe from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, which is actually full of some really yummy soups, too. I got the idea for the avocado and goat cheese salad I made with this from his salad cookbook. Jeannene loved that and I would have, too, had it not been for the goat cheese, which seemed too heavy for the delicate greens for me. For dessert, I made a raspberry tart, which was the favorite part of the meal for both of us.

Sour Cream Potato Soup

3 potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 c. chicken or veggie broth

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp. caraway seeds (or to taste)

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp. flour

1/4 c. milk

8 oz. sour cream

Bring potatoes, broth, bay leaves, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper to a gentle boil. Turn down heat and cook until potatoes are tender. Stir the flour into the milk until completely dissolved. Add to soup, stirring constantly. Add the sour cream, still stirring. Bring to a boil again and simmer gently about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serves 2-3. 

Avocado & Goat Cheese Salad

Tear 3-4 leaves Bibb or Boston lettuce per person into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a salad plate. Cut a log of goat cheese into thick medallions, 1-2 oz. per person, and warm in oven or microwave just until they begin to melt. Toss 1/2 diced avocado per person on the greens. For every 2 people, whisk together 3 tbsp. olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, salt, and pepper to make dressing. Put goat cheese on salads. Drizzle with dressing. 

Raspberry Tart

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp. sugar

1 pint raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry on parchment-lined baking sheet. Press the tines of a fork along the edges to form a border. Bake about 15 minutes, until browned and puffed. Cool completely. Meanwhile, beat the cream & sugar to stiff peaks. Top with berries. Serves 6-8. 

Pasta e Fagioli and Beet Salad, February 9, 2015

My library has a wonderful book discussion group----the genre is cookbooks! So, every other month, we get together in one of the meeting rooms to eat and talk about that month's selection. We all bring a dish from whatever it is, sample them, talk about the book and the author, and generally have a good ol' time. Our first meeting was in December and we could choose any cookbook by Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. No, it's not pioneer food. It's really yummy, pretty easy, and mostly unhealthy food good for people who are burning scads of calories every day working on a ranch. I did malted chocolate chip cookies for that one. You can find that recipe on Ree's website.

Tonight's choice was any cookbook by Lidia Bastianich. It required me to seriously step up my game. I had a difficult time finding a recipe that A. sounded good to me, B. wasn't insanely involved, and C. worked well for a potluck away from home. First, I checked out Lidia's Family Table. While I loved the stories, most of the recipes were ones I couldn't imagine making even for the family, much less to serve at a potluck. Next, I looked on Pinterest and decided there was hope, after all. I went back to the library and picked up Lidia's Favorite Recipes. I did find a couple of recipes to make. Neither one was at all for beginning cooks, but they turned out okay. But I would not go to all the trouble the recipes require for the end result. You know, actually, I liked the beet salad a whole lot and will likely make it again. I'll just do it my own way. The beet salad was the favorite, for a lot of book club members, of all the dishes presented. General consensus was that, although the food was quite good, we all felt that most of the recipes were too labor intensive for us. If, however, you love to spend hours fiddling around in your kitchen, Lidia's your woman! I'm a much lazier cook, so these recipes are not as she would make them, to be sure (and I think it needs some red pepper flakes). But, they turned out pretty good. By the way, if pink goo scares you, the step of making a paste of the garlic and raw bacon in the soup-making process might be a little much for you. But you can do it! It's just bacon. This combo, in addition to being suitable for potlucks, would make a great lunch or supper for company.

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb. dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight in cold water & drained well

6 quarts water

3 large russet potatoes, peeled but left whole

3 sprigs rosemary

3 bay leaves

12 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces (vegetarians & vegans can probably omit this, although it will alter the flavor)

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 c. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

1 can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand, with their juice

Salt and pepper

1-4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. ditalini (can sub 3 c. macaroni)

Grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano (vegans can skip this)

Bring beans, water, potatoes, rosemary, and bay leaves to a boil in a very, very large pot. Simmer while you prep the veggies & bacon. Process bacon and garlic to a paste in a food processor. Heat oil in large skillet. Add bacon/garlic and cook golden, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add carrots and cook until the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer about 5 minutes. Pour 2 ladlefuls of bean broth into the skillet and bring to a boil. pour skillet contents into soup pot. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium until beans are tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it's quite a bit smoother, although not entirely puréed. Lacking an immersion blender, you can remove about a third of the beans, allow them to cool, and purée them in a regular blender or food processor before returning them to the pot. You will also need to remove the potatoes and mash them, returning them, as well. They will already have fallen apart, but you don't want big hunks left. Cook the soup another 10-15 minutes, then let it rest off the heat, covered, another 10-15 minutes. While the soup is resting, cook the pasta al dente in salted water and drain well. Add to the soup. Let it rest another 5 minutes, then serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cheese on each serving. Serves 12-15. 

Roasted Beet and Beet Greens Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese

8-10 small yellow and red beets with greens attached

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

Pepper

1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

4 oz. goat cheese (vegans can omit this)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice off the greens, leaving only a smidge of stem. Scrub well, poke several times with a fork, and place in a shallow baking dish with about 1/4" water in the bottom. Roast until they are shriveled, dark, and caramelized on the outside and tender inside (when tested with a knife). This will take 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Cool thoroughly. Rinse greens well. Cut off the tough stem bottoms and separate leaves from middle, more tender stems. Cook stems in boiling water about 7 minutes. Add leaves and cook another 15 minutes, until stems are very soft. Drain well and season with half the salt. Peel beets and cut off stems and roots. Cut into thick slices or thin wedges. Toss with greens. Whisk oil and vinegar with remaining salt and pepper. Drizzle on beets and toss to coat. Mix beets and apples, then crumble goat cheese onto the salad just before serving. Serves 4-6.

Next meeting's cookbooks are Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian and Del Sroufe's Forks Over Knives Cookbook. I am excited to check those out!

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese Rounds & Grapefruit Balsamic

This wonderful salad is my version of Alice Waters' Goat Cheese Salad. For years, I've wanted to make a salad with baked or fried goat cheese rounds, but for some odd reason, it's seemed intimidating to me. Perhaps I was afraid the cheese would melt and ooze all over the place? Anyway, I am past that fear now and this is a salad that's terrific to serve guests to give them a little something special. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, I would urge you to educate yourself. Alice Waters is one of my food heroes, a pioneer of the movement back toward using fresh, local foods that are in season and are sustainably produced. Chez Panisse, her Berkeley restaurant, is on my foodie bucket list. If you want to treat yourself to a new cookbook, her The Art of Simple Food is a good choice.

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese Rounds & Grapefruit Balsamic

1/2 c. good quality olive oil

4 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf, crumbled

4 oz. goat cheese, cut into 4 rounds 

1/2 c. breadcrumbs/panko

2 tbsp. grapefruit balsamic

Salt & pepper

6 c. mixed greens

Marinate cheese in 1/4 c. oil with thyme & bay leaf for 2-12 hours. Place on a small baking sheet and chill thoroughly. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a small baking dish with the oil from the marinade. Coat the chilled goat cheese rounds in crumbs. Bake 5 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Whisk 1/4 c. oil with grapefruit balsamic. Season with salt & pepper. Toss with greens to coat. Divide greens among 4 salad plates, topping each salad with a goat cheese round. Serves 4. (This is also good with added dried cherries and walnuts)

Asparagus Tart

Spring is here & it's time for lighter foods! (Or, it is on the days Ma Nature doesn't forget winter is over) I think Jeannene and I could cheerfully eat asparagus every day all spring and Pixie, our oldest cat, is always thrilled when we do because he loves it beyond reason. In fact, you have to be careful with asparagus around Pixie because it's one of the few foods he will steal (chicken and turkey being the other two). I very often simply steam or roast my asparagus, but this year, I decided a tart would be lovely. This is very easy and simply delicious! Pair it with a nice salad and some fresh fruit. I think I might have to make this for Easter brunch this year!

Asparagus Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

10 oz. log goat cheese

1 1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed

1 tbsp. olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press a 1" border into the pastry all along the edges with a fork and prick a number of times in the center (or place pie weights, on a sheet of foil, in the center of the pastry). Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden. Spread with the goat cheese in an even layer. Cover with an even layer of asparagus. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with lemon zest, salt, & pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it, as puff pastry burns easily. You can see in this pic that it got a little dark! Allow to cool before serving. Serves 4-6.