Barley and Black Bean Salad

salad
1 c dry black beans
1 c dry barley
1 1/2 c frozen corn
2 diced roma tomatoes
1 seeded and minced jalapeno
1 diced green pepper
1 scallion
1 Tbsp minced chives
garnish with avocado when serving

dressing
2 Tbsp lime juice
4 tsp honey
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 heaping Tbsp chopped cilantro

rehydrate black beans with plenty of water (and salt).  cook barley like pasta -- i boiled it for 17-20 minutes.  rinse barley with cold water before mixing the salad.  combine all salad ingredients.  whisk together the dressing and toss with the salad.  let it sit overnight and it will be tasty tasty tasty.  garnish with diced avocado. enjoy!

Cauliflower and Potato Fritters

1 head of cauliflower florets

1 1/2 tsp salt (plus extra to season after frying)
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 potatoes
3 cloves of garlic grated4 oz of grated Gruyere 
1 egg
3/4 c flour
panko crumbs


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roughly chop the cauliflower florets.  In a mixing bowl, combine cauliflower, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Toss cauliflower until thoroughly coated.  Spread cauliflower in an even layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Roughly chop the onion and toss with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Spread in an even layer beside the cauliflower.  Loosely cover with aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes longer.

 

Scrub the potatoes and cut into large chunks.  Place potatoes in water and bring to a boil.  Boil potatoes until a knife can be easily inserted.  Remove potatoes from water and place in a large mixing bowl with the garlic, Gruyere, egg, cauliflower, and onion.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mash together with a potato masher.  Heat up thin layer of oil in a skillet to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Sprinkle a thin layer of panko bread crumbs in a rimmed plate.  Using an ice cream scoop or two soup spoons, make 2 inch medallions no thicker than 1/2 inch.  Coat both sides with bread crumbs.  Pan fry for 1-2 minutes per side.  Let cool on a wire rack, and sprinkle with salt... Then enjoy!

If you're looking for a tasty and easy dipping sauce, try 8 oz of sour cream, 1 tsp grated onion, salt and pepper to taste, and about a tablespoon of scallions or chives.

For Christmas, I was given a pretty fantastic cookbook and so was my sister-in-law.  We oohed and aahed over lots of pictures and recipes.  I came to a cauliflower fritter recipe.  At some point, I will try that one because it looks amazing; however, it immediately reminded me of the great little mashed potato fritters my mom would make me when I was little.  They were delicious but are a pain to make because they just refuse to stay together.  I thought roasting the cauliflower and adding flour would help bind the fritter together.  Then I thought about classing it up a bit with Gruyere and roasted onions.  It worked out so well! 

garlic rosemary french fry dip - thanksgiving for yo' fries

1/2 c mayonnaise 

1 Tbsp roasted garlic

1 tsp minced rosemary

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil.  pop in the oven and turn to 400 degrees fahrenheit.  roast for 30 minutes.  in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, rosemary, and salt and pepper.  when garlic cloves have cooled, smash with a knife and run a knife through.  dip french fries and enjoy!

So there is a fantastic french fry place in New York, Pommes Frites.  Michael took me there and I was so confused at the french fry dipping sauces that were not ketchup.  Prior to walking through the entrance to this joint, I had never put anything other than ketchup on my fries... Full disclosure, I guess I had used ranch dipping sauce at Chick-fil-a.  But holy everything, their garlic rosemary dipping sauce is Thanksgiving in your mouth, which is to say fantastic.  It really tastes like Thanksgiving because of the rosemary and garlic.  (In fact, I'll go so far as to say that if this does not remind you of Thanksgiving you are doing something wrong on that holiday.)  I've wanted to make it for quite some time now.  Well I've gone and done it.  And boy did it deliver!    

french fries

2 yukon gold potatoes
1/4 c milk
1/4 flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
canola for frying

cut the potatoes into quarter inch slices.  then cut the slices into eighth to quarter inch french fries.  pour milk in a bowl.  mix flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in another bowl.  dunk potatoes in milk and toss in the flour mixture.  pour two inches of canola oil in a pan and bring to 375 degrees fahrenheit.  drop the potatoes in one at a time in small batches.  fry for 2-3 minutes.  take out and let cool on a wire rack.  make sure the fries are on a single layer.

ready to be fried

single layer after cooling on the wire rack
and before wrapping in newspaper to serve  

Fries are not fries unless they are matchstick french fries... thin and crunchy.  These are, and these are tasty!

I am so excited about my new kitchen toys!  While in Russia, I made fried chicken for the first time and realized that frying without a thermometer equals not a good idea.  And... I got a spider whisk.  Ohhh have I been wanting that fine friend.

baby turtles

pecans
8 oz salted pecan halves (trader joes)

caramel

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk 

½  c cream

3 tbsp butter 

1 tsp vanilla

chocolate

12 oz Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

begin the baby turtles by separating the pecan halves from the pieces.  you will only need the pecan halves or the very large pieces.

for the caramel, warm the cream and butter in a small sauce pan.  in another pot with high sides, combine sugars, corn syrup, water, and sweetened condensed milk.  bring to a boil.  remove from the heat, slowly and carefully pour in warm cream and butter mixture.  return to the heat and bring up to at least 240 degrees fahrenheit but not more than 245 degrees.  take off the heat and add vanilla. give a good swirl or stir. let the caramel cool to at least 200 degrees.

to make the baby turtles, pull out two long sheets of parchment paper.  with a soup spoon, spoon up caramel with one hand.  with your other hand hold a pecan and use it to get the right amount of caramel from the spoon onto it.  place the pecan on the parchment paper.  repeat and repeat and repeat.  if the caramel becomes difficult to work with, warm it back up on the stove.  let these sit for 2-3 hours. just prior to dipping in chocolate, manipulate the caramel around the pecan.

for the melted chocolate, pour about a third of the chocolate chips in a microwave save bowl. microwave for 20 seconds. take out and stir. continue this process of melting and stirring until smooth.

to finish the baby turtles, place each caramel pecan in the chocolate. with a fork, roll around in the chocolate. when completely covered, take out and place on the parchment paper. as the chocolate begins to diminish, add more chocolate chips. go through the previous step of melting and stirring prior to dipping the remaining caramel pecans. let these sit over night. when the chocolate has set, use a knife to take off the parchment paper and place on a wire rack until chocolate has solidified. 

topped with caramel

rolled in chocolate

If chocolate carmel turtles could have babies, this is about the size they would be.  I love regular turtles but for my 30th birthday my aunt-in-law Mary gave me a giant martini glass filled with chocolate goodies.  I ate a few chocolate covered pecans, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  But then I bit into a pecan dipped in caramel and then dipped in chocolate.  Holy everything!  I knew I was going to figure out how to make them asap!  All I have to say is get ready for tasty yum yums!

rolled lasagna: i can only imagine that's not the italian name but i'm not italian

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 c milk

3/4 c grated parmesan cheese (separated)

1 c frozen spinach

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 eggs (separated)

1/2 c ricotta cheese
all purpose flour for rolling the dough
salt for the boiling water
butter for the pie dish

marinara for topping/dipping*

2/3 pasta from the pasta recipe*

begin boiling a large pot of water to cook the pasta roll.  in a small saute pan, melt butter and brown flour.  add milk.  continue stirring until the milk simmers and the béchamel sauce becomes thick.  take the saute pan off of the burner and stir in 1/2 c parmesan cheese until it melts.  put frozen spinach on three paper towels on top of a plate.  place in the microwave for 1 minute.  let the spinach cool completely.  fold the paper towel over the spinach and wring out all excess liquid over the sink.  the cup of frozen spinach will now only be about half a cup.  stir the spinach, salt, pepper, 1 egg, and ricotta cheese into the béchamel sauce.

roll 2/3 of the pasta recipe on a floured surface.  roll into a large rectangle about 10 x 15.  spread the spinach and cheese mixture, leaving a 1 inch perimeter.  whisk the other egg.  use a brush to cover the edges with the egg.  slowly start rolling the rectangle like a jelly roll.  as you want this to fit this into the pot of water, roll it up so the width (10 inch side) becomes the length of the roll.  press the edges together on both side.  using a fork seal the roll.  carefully pick up the roll and place on a clean tea towel or cheese cloth.  wrap with twine.

when the pot of water comes to a boil, add salt to the boiling water.  with tongs place the wrapped pasta roll into the boiling water.  boil for 15 minutes.  put a clean dry tea towel on a cutting board.  when the pasta roll has finished boiling, use a wooden spoon and tongs to get the roll out of the boiling water.  place it on the clean dry tea towel.  let rest and cool for 10 minutes.  untie and slice into half inch rings.

turn on the broiler.  butter a glass pie dish.  lay the half inch rings into the pie dish slightly overlapping each other.  sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c of parmesan cheese.  place under the broiler and turn often.  keep a close eye on the pasta rolls.

serve with marinara sauce.  seriously yum!  

1 cup of frozen spinach (after microwaved)

1/2 c spinach (after being wrung out)

the tasty filling

roll the pasta dough 10x15

fill and roll the pasta treat up

seal the roll with a fork

place in a tea towel

wrap with twine

slice into half inch disks

place in a buttered pie dish

Okay so I watched one of Giada's shows.  She made something like this.  I got really excited about trying it as I had been wanting to make some sort of take on lasagna.  Lasagna seemed too involved and just too much.  But I had already been thinking of making a white lasagna starting with a béchamel sauce and not just the traditional ricotta and egg filling.  Her filling was closer to a traditional lasagna filling so I came up with my own and yum! yes yum!

*the recipes are below

pasta pasta and more pasta!!!

2 c semolina flour
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 eggs
3/4 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp water
all purpose for dusting

make a well with the flour.  in the well add the olive oil, eggs, and salt.  you will most likely start incorporating and kneading the pasta dough before all the eggs are cracked and mixed in.  wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes in the fridge if you are rolling it out.  lightly dust the counter top and the rolling pin with flour.  cut the dough in half or thirds prior to rolling it out.  roll to the desired thickness, cut into the desired shape, let air dry on a wire rack or tea towel just prior to boiling.  boil in salted water until al dente.

make a well in the flour to add all the wet ingredients

shape the dough and then wrap in saran wrap

roll the dough and slice away
(a pizza cutter works very well)