Happy Year of the Dragon- 2012!
I love to cook Chinese New Year Dinner… where an even number of courses are good luck. This past weekend, Bartender Steve and his Heidi were the lucky winners of this year’s 6 course Chinese New Year dinner. Take a look at the video to learn how to make your own version for this week’s celebration!
(Great things are often a surprise. So it is with my friend Faith- we met, clicked, and wanted to collaborate right away! Here is a blog post we wrote together introducing this great collaboration…)
The holidays evoke memories of family gatherings, traditions, warm hues of orange and brown and the deep reds of the changing leaves of fall and Thanksgiving, or the warmth of candles and scent of evergreen in December.
And, of course, food.
Preparing the Thanksgiving feast, baking Christmas cookies with recipes handed down from Grandma, looking forward to the holiday potluck at work, and holiday parties galore where appetizers and cheer abound.
The dictionary defines “healthy” as vigor of body, mind, and/or spirit; enjoying prosperity, flourishing; being well, fit, hearty, robust, sound, whole, wholesome.
“Healthy Holidays” doesn’t have to be an oxymoron!
The holidays are a time to celebrate the people we love and the blessings we share. Health is almost always among the things we express gratitude for during the holidays, yet it is often ignored when we plan menus and prepare food for our friends and families–the folks whose health we care most about.
Why not make this year’s holiday season health-improving time for you and those you love rather than a break from healthy habits?
Contrary to popular opinion, healthy holidays don’t sacrifice taste, fun, or convenience. In fact, healthy holidays can be delicious, joyful, and filled with love…not to mention beautiful.
We have combined our passions–Jen’s passion for celebrating good food and Faith’s for improving health and well-being–to bring you a two-part series of classes called Healthy Holidays–Cooking Well and Choosing Well.
In them, we’ll show you how to prepare healthy appetizers and foods for the holidays, as well as make the best choices at holiday gatherings and celebrations.
It’s the perfect marriage of the celebration of food and wellness!
Healthy Holidays: Cook Well & Choose Well
Part I: Cook Well: Sunday November 14, 3-6pm, Cave Vin Restaurant $30/class or Parts I & II for $50
A hands-on class focused on how fresh, local, whole foods can contribute to your healthy holiday without sacrificing taste or convenience! You’ll leave class comfortable preparing healthy and delicious recipes you’ll be proud to serve your friends and families. Sample your creations and enjoy an afternoon of fun, cooking and inspiration.
Part II: Choose Well: Monday December 6, 7-9pm Southwest Mpls $30/class or Parts I & II for $50
The holidays don’t have to mean the undoing of your healthy habits. Learn how to make healthy choices at holiday gatherings, substitute healthier ingredients in traditional holiday recipes, enjoy yourself without sacrificing your healthy habits, and reduce stress for your holiday! Sample healthy holiday fare and enjoy an evening of fun, learning and inspiration.
Do you celebrate National Night Out? On our block in Southwest Minneapolis, we did it up big last week. We closed off the street, hauled out tables and chairs and grills and a bonfire pit, blew up a jumper for the kids, rolled out our coolers and partied til midnight.
I wanted to bring something really special to the block party for our pot luck.
At Parley Lake Winery, pears were just ripening and falling off the trees,
so I figured I’d share this Minnesota goodness with my neighbors.
I adapted a recipe from Smitten Kitchen to make a Caramelized Pear/Onion tart.
I started by making Smitten’s tart dough in the recipe linked above.
Next, I cut up some Pears (they were small, so I used about 8) and Some Onion (I used spring onion from my CSA, and used three).
After I cut them into sizes that would fit into the food processor,
I used the slicer to slice the onion and pear (separately) very thinly.
Next, I caramelized them separately in cast iron pans.
Because they were sliced so thinly, and because the spring onion is softer and fresher than a fully grown onion from the grocery store, and because I wanted the pear to maintain some texture on the tart- I only caramelized them for 30 to 40 minutes.
To caramelize, I put 1/4 cup of olive oil into each skillet and added the the onions to one and the pears to the other.
I cut a round of parchment paper for each skillet, and put it directly on top of the pears or onions.
I sprinkled some sugar on top of the pears since they were a bit firm, to make sure the caramelizing process would begin.
I checked about every 10 minutes and stirred stuff around to make sure they all got equal heat.
At the end, things should look uniformly brown and smell sweet.
These onions aren’t quite done yet, but they are starting to caramelize, and you can tell by the color.
At the end of the caramelizing process, I spread the onions on the prepared tart dough.
Then I artfully arranged the pears on top, and added some thinly sliced brie cheese.
I baked it for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees on the middle rack, until I could see that the crust was a nice brown on the edges.
I cooled it on a wire rack and served it at room (or outside) temperature, cut up into squares and on a nice platter.
A perfect appetizer for a summer party!
Great wine pairing: Something white, light, and slightly sweet with a citrus/fruit forward nose, to bring out the flavor of the pear and emphasize the tang of the caramelized onion and brie. I served this with chilled Parley Lake Brianna Breeze, and it was perfect!
You remember the post about the Hummus, or the post about the Roasted Red Pepper spread… now comes their famous cousin in crime, Olive Tapenade!
If you make all three spreads, it’s a lovely trio to serve your guests over wine, beer, before dinner- or for youself as a late night snack!
Thanks to Sarah for the inspiration!
Olive Tapenade is the easiest recipe… and it’s also a crowd favorite.
When I serve this Tapenade as part of a trio of spreads, it’s always the first to go.
May have something to do with the fact that this is a recipe to make 3 ounces of tapenade-
since it takes less to get that full, complex, rich flavor. MMMMM.
Start with very simple ingredients…
Kalamata Olives, Capers, Olive Oil, and fresh squeezed Lemon Juice- as well as salt and pepper to taste.
First, get out your 20 Kalamata olives (it’s easiest if they are pitted, but mine were not, so I removed the seeds myself.)
To pit an olive, cut it in half near the seed and then squeeze the olive. The seed will come right out.
20 pitted olives weighs roughly two ounces.
As a side note- I do have a kitchen scale, which you can buy for as little as $5. It’s definitely worth the money.
I’ve found that many recipes include weight equivalents in grams or ounces, which is especially handy when you’re baking.
For this recipe, it means I don’t have to count olives anymore… I just weigh them and move on!
Next, coarsely chop the olives with a knife. Or, you can throw them in the food processor if you wish- it’s faster.
Add 1 Tablespoon of rinsed, drained, and chopped Capers.
Put into your serving bowl- I like to use my little ramekins.
Squeeze in one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
If it’s not quite the consistency you like, add more!
Salt and pepper to taste (I don’t add salt, as I find the olives are more than salty enough for me.)
Mix – Serve – ENJOY! (This makes about 3 ounces of tapenade.)
I paired my tapenade with a medium-bodied red wine, Parley Lake Winery’s Marquette. Its oak aged earthiness was enhanced by the rich, salty, mediterranean black olive tapenade.
What happened to this week? Is it already Friday? I can’t believe it!
Parley Lake Winery will be serving delicioius Catalyst Cooks food this summer… so please stop out to visit me (I’ll be managing the tasting room) and try the wine paired with homemade breads, crackers, spreads, and other bites!
I wanted to share the basic Roasted Red Pepper tapenade recipe with you- it’s one of my favorites. I’m absolutely in love with roasted red peppers and they are so easy to make (although you can also buy them, jarred, in the store near the pickles.) This recipe can be adjusted and adapted depending on what’s in your fridge at home… and I’ll give you some ideas at the end!
Start with – you guessed it – red pepper. This recipe calls for two of them.
As soon as I get these babies home, I bathe them and let them dry.
When I’m ready to make the spread…
I cut each pepper in half very close to the stem.
If I do it right, it looks like this… clean on one side, and all of the seeds under the stem on the other.
That makes it easy to take the seeds, stem, and membranes out… since all I want is the delicious redness of the pepper!
After I’ve removed the seeds, stem, and membranes- it’s time to get them ready for the broiler (or the grill).
In rainy weather like today, I like to use the broiler. My broiler is on the top of my oven so I move an oven rack to the top spot and turn the broiler on high.
While it’s warming up, I put the red peppers (skin side up) on a cookie sheet and “smash them” flat with the palm of my hand.
(If you’re using the grill, flatten the peppers in the same way, and then place them skin side down on the grill.)
Place the peppers under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes, or until the skin is blackened.
Remove the peppers from the heat, and immediately place them in a plastic baggie for ten minutes.
This step “steams” the peppers and softens the skin, to make it easy to remove the skin.
After ten minutes have passed, remove the peppers from the baggie and strip the skin off.
Be careful- the peppers are hot!
Cut the peppers into strips, and place them into your food processor or blender.
You’ll also need:
Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and let ‘er rip!
I like my dip to be less than fully blended – kind of like how coffee looks when you grind it up.
Except spreadable (unlike coffee grounds).
Of course- whatever consistency you like, you can make!
(The basic recipe above makes about 8 ounces of spread).
This recipe begs for variations.
For example, this morning I put my Red Pepper Tapenade together with my Hummus.
I also added some Feta Cheese.
I add a little something green to the top to contrast with the vibrant red color of the tapenade. Like a parsley sprig from the kitchen herb garden. Or a few chopped chives from the back yard.
I like to put it in a pretty bowl, on a plate, and surround the bowl with toasted bread.
This week it was my experimental homemade rye buns, sliced and toasted to a brown crisp. Perfectly ready for a yummy spread.
Have fun with this… it pairs very well with white wines, which bring out its smokiness and richness- I especially like it with Parley Lake’s playful and fruity Brianna white! Of course I’d also take it with our Frontenac Gris… or how about any wine….
Enjoy your weekend, folks!
I love to have business meetings at my house. We get the panoramic view of what’s happening on the street, in the backyard, and at the neighbor’s from my office.
Yesterday I was lucky to host Faith, wellness coach and woman of action! We shared some stories, brainstormed some ideas (look for a Catalyst Cooks collaboration coming soon!), ate lunch…. and stumbled on a recurring theme that I need to personally remind myself of pretty often.
That is- I forget my life before I learned how to cook.
I forget how I didn’t know how to grocery shop for healthy, basic foods. I forget that I didn’t know how to plan a menu for my week. I forget that I didn’t know what saute means!
I also forget how I used to buy pre-made things because I didn’t know how to make them. Since then I’ve learned- making a lot of things is pretty fun. and, once you get the hang of it, pretty easy too!
So today, I’ll cover something easy to make, that I used to buy (a lot). Hummus.
Hummus starts with Garbanzo beans
The main ingredient in hummus is garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas).
I used to always buy the canned version.
I learned that canned Garbanzos can be found in multiple places in my grocery store, but that they are cheapest in the Mexican section of the store.
Now, I’m started to buy the dry beans. That just requires a bit more planning, because then I soak the beans overnight.
The benefit of using canned beans is that they are immediately ready when you are- just rinse and drain.
However, the dried beans are cheaper. I can take out and soak just the quantity I want- Sometimes I may want hummus just for me.
Next step is the garlic.
I like to use fresh garlic, always.
Although the minced fresh garlic in the jar is a close second.
I *love* garlic and like to use a lot of it when I make hummus- maybe four of the larger cloves for a can of garbanzo beans.
I press each clove through my garlic press to make sure it’s minced evenly and well, although it would work fine to mince it by hand.
Other ingredients (I assume you are using a can of chickpeas):
The juice of a lemon (be sure to reserve a slice from the middle for garnish)
a bit (1.5 Tablespoons) of Tahini (sesame seed paste- I use a couple teaspoons of peanut butter as a cheat substitute since I don’t have tahini around)
olive oil- for richer hummus, use 1/4 Cup. For lighter hummus, use a couple of tablespoons and then add 1/4 Cup water or plain yogurt (I use fat free yogurt- I like to drain it first in a strainer over a clean paper towel to remove as much liquid as possible)
salt and pepper to taste – I use just a pinch
You can increase the amount of fat-free plain yogurt, which increases the volume of the hummus and reduces each serving’s calories.
Put everything in your food processor and pulse/blend it to your desired consistency.
I like to add a bit of paprika and my reserved lemon slice on the top of my hummus to “dress it up.”
Serve with pita triangles, cut vegetables (instead of dip), crackers… and be ready for a yummy, garlic-infused treat!
This recipe makes approximately 20 ounces of hummus. Enjoy with friends!
And don’t forget the wine… this hummus is flexible enough to pair with just about anything. I like it with Parley Lake Winery’s Frontenac Rosso, and I find that the chickpea and tahini allows the cherry-fruit and tobacco notes in the wine to shine.
I’m a big fan of seasonal cooking.
Meaning: I love to cook based on what’s in season.
I think this really kicked in for me when I first joined a local farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, see my post here.)
I noticed a correlation - the produce I got from my farmer was also the produce on sale at the market and also had a great flavor-
Coincidence? I don’t think so!
Strawberry abundance + Grilling weather = Fruit Salsa (to accompany grilled pork! Perfect!)
The Fruit and Vegetable Bath
First, I wash my fruit as soon as I get home from the market.
I use cool water and a bit of dish soap (I like Meyers) and soak the fruits and veggies for a few minutes.
I also gently scrub the ones with firm surfaces (think peppers or apples) with a vegetable brush.
Yesterday, when the fruits were done bathing, I dried them off with a clean dish towel and organized them on my cutting board.
Then I opened my bottle of Parley Lake Winery Chardonnay, the perfect partner for the spiced pork and fruit salsa… and cooking companion too!
Fruits ready to be sals-i-fied!
For this version of fruit salsa, I used:
1/2 Melon
1/3 Red Onion
6 large strawberries
1/4 cucumber
1 jalapeno
1 lime
1/2 T Agave Nectar
Dried Basil & Mint to taste (or you can use fresh, but I didn’t have any)
A bit of salt
First, I de-seeded the cucumber and jalapeno and melon.
Next, I chopped the fruits into small pieces (make sure not to include the skin of the cucumber or melon!)
I selected a pretty bowl to show off the vibrant colors of the ingredients.
I don’t use metal as a general rule with foods that are acidic, as it may impart a metallic taste into the food.
I chose a white antique bowl from a set I got from my Grandma, via my mom.
I love these dishes, they are so simple and elegant!
Next, I squeezed the lime juice onto the salsa.
Finally… after the lime juice was added, I squeezed the Agave Nectar over the salsa and sprinkled the top with a bit of salt, dried mint, and dried basil.
I’ll leave the basil and mint on the top until it’s served, because it adds a bit of dimension to the appearance.
When I serve it, I’ll mix it together and put it on the plate as a side for grilled pork tenderloin or pork chops.
I figure it will make about 6 servings. Once you’ve made it, please refrigerate- you can store it for a couple of days.
To adjust for fewer people, I would use a different fruit instead of the melon, or buy one of the small containers with a pre-chopped single helping of melon.
Yum!
Fruit Salsa! Perfect as a side for pork or other grilled meat.
© Jennifer Antila, Jen the Catalyst and Catalyst Cooks ®, 2010, 2011, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennifer Antila and Jen the Catalyst with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Jen the Catalyst by Jen Antila is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
