Buttermilk Biscuits with Stewed Pear-Apples

Sometimes you just want breakfast - a Southern breakfast - for dinner.  There's something so comforting about a Southern breakfast.  I think it has to do with its simplicity, its basic rib-sticking quality, and its salty-sweet familiarity.

Last night, I think I was craving some of that familiarity, because I made squash casserole, tempeh bacon, and buttermilk biscuits with stewed fruit.

I really enjoy listening to my cravings. Not the bad kind, like the cravings that tell me to eat the whole pack of Oreos, but the leaning towards a certain vegetable or spice kind of cravings.  And, I think I enjoy it so much because I've finally learned to cook.  It's a very empowering feeling, being able to feed yourself and others.  Life can be so stressful, but put me in front of a stove and my anxiety melts away.  This is familiar territory; I can succeed here.  Which makes me wonder about what other sorts of things I can become good at, in other aspects of my life and career, to get that same empowering feeling.

Anyway, remember these?

Part of my mom's gift of food.  I've been working hard all week to not waste any veggies or fruit.  I've frozen blueberries, stuffed peppers, simmered tomatoes, baked squash, blended salsa... these little pear-apple hybrids were no exception.  Frankly, they have a tart flavor and pear-like texture and no one really wanted to eat them out of hand.  So I stewed them down with cinnamon, maple syrup, lemon juice, margarine, and vanilla (okay, I was out of vanilla but let's just pretend I wasn't).  The result was something like a cross between pie filling and apple butter.  A perfect Southern biscuit topping!

I've posted on biscuits before.  I think I have the perfect biscuit recipe.  I hope you'll try it sometime!

Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

This is my favorite tomato sauce recipe, period. I don't make it any other way.  Here's what sets it apart.

1. It begins with a base of onion, garlic, carrot, and celery.  You won't notice these veggies in the finished product, but by then they have worked their magic.
2. It simmers for an hour.  The flavors have time to meld and concentrate, for maximum impact.
3. You puree it.  Thus, you've got a thick, consistent, vibrant red sauce that coats whatever you put it on.

1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
5 tomatoes
bay leaf
fresh basil
S&P

Add chopped onion and garlic to hot olive oil in a large saucepan. Cook until translucent, 5-10 minutes, careful not to burn the garlic.  Add chopped carrots and celery.  (At this point, you can deglaze the pan with red wine if you like, or not). Add chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, any herbs or spices you like (like red pepper flakes, onion/garlic powder, oregano, thyme, etc), and some fresh basil leaves.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.  Remove bay leaf.  Add more fresh basil, blend in food processor or blender until smooth, then return to the pan.  (You can add a tablespoon of butter, to round out the acidity, if you like).  Season with salt and pepper.

Thai Lime Leaf Pesto

In trying to preserve all the vegetables my mom gave me, of course I made pesto with the basil.  Basil pesto is obviously an Italian concept.  But I find myself using lots of Japanese ingredients when I make pesto, like sweet white miso and ume vinegar.  I find these two ingredients take pesto up a couple notches.

As I was making this "fusion" pesto, I suddenly remembered the lime leaves I keep in the freezer for Thai curry.  And I tossed a few in.  The result is delicious!  It really does make the pesto extra unique and extra addictive.  And you can use it for almost anything.  I've been stirring it into rice, since it is fusion pesto after all, and last night I spread it on my Southern tomato and vegenaise sandwich. :-)

Thai Lime Leaf Pesto:
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley

2-3 lime leaves
1/2 heaping cup pumpkin seeds

2 Tbsp sweet white miso
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp ume vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Blend ingredients in the food processor, adding olive oil last, through feeder into already blended ingredients.

Basil Walnut Pesto

I regret that I don't have a prettier picture of the pesto, because it really deserves a nice picture in natural light to show off its green color. You'll just have to trust me. The pesto gets the highest possible rating from me. The pesto is Alicia Silverstone's recipe for basil pesto, which you can watch her make here, as part of her artichoke, mushroom and leek crostini (I've made this in its entirety, and it's fantastic, simple, and a great party appetizer as you can make the toppings in advance).

I used walnuts instead of pine nuts, this time. Alicia's recipe stands out from other pestos because the ume vinegar gives it a richer, tangier kick. It's delicious! But if you would like a cheesier tasting pesto, this one is good. As always, you can use almost any nut or leafy herb you like.

Basil Walnut Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp ume vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Process the ingredients in the food processor, adding the olive oil through the feeder once the other ingredients have been blended.

The pesto is excellent served with Alicia's mushroom & leek saute and artichoke spread, on crostini. Or, it's addictive on its own, with Italian bread for dipping.

Vanilla-Apricot Simple Syrup

Bartenders use simple syrup instead of sugar to sweeten cocktails.  That way, you don't have anything grainy in your drink.

Simple syrup is easy as pie to make. It's just one part sugar, one part water, boiled until the sugar dissolves.  You can then store it in an airtight container and use it to sweeten margaritas, fruity martinis, or anything really where you'd normally use sugar.

But simple syrup is also easy to infuse with flavors like vanilla, lavender, cinnamon, ginger, or even chocolate.

Vanilla-apricot simple syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
5 dried apricots
1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Boil the water, sugar, and apricots, covered, for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in the vanilla.  Add immediately to a sterile glass container and seal.  Refrigerate after opening for use.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

I'm not sure about the exact origin of spaghetti puttanesca, except that it's from Italy. But it feels Mediterranean to me, because the special ingredients are kalamata olives, capers, and anchovies - three ingredients I've eaten in excess in Italy, Spain and Greece.

I love these intense salty flavors in a tomato sauce.  I substituted anchovies with miso paste in this recipe.

1 lb dried whole wheat spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 dried chili, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 tbsp capers
5-6 fresh tomatoes, chopped (or 1 big can)
1 tbsp sweet white miso paste
fresh parsley, chopped

1. Fill a big pot with water and turn the burner on high. This will be for the pasta later (you know how long big pots of water take to boil!).
2. Heat a large saucepan on medium low.
3. Add the olive oil and wait until it swirls in the pan.
4. Add the chili, thyme, salt and garlic and saute 1 minute until right before the garlic turns golden.
5. Add the tomatoes, olives, and capers and simmer for at least 20 minutes or as long as you want. I like to simmer mine on low for an hour or so sometimes.
6. Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water during the last 10 minutes of sauce-simmering.
5. Just before serving, stir the miso paste into the sauce until it dissolves like butter.  The miso paste gives the dish a salty, nutty depth; thus it's an excellent parmesan or anchovy paste substitute.
6. Stir the parsley into the sauce.
7. Drain the cooked pasta, leaving a tiny bit of the pasta water to add to the sauce.
8. Toss the pasta in with the sauce and let it sit for a couple minutes to absorb the flavor.

You're done!

Salsa and Guacamole

Okay, I'm finally posting on my own recipe.  Actually, it isn't my own recipe, I'm pretty sure they've been doing something similar in Mexico for centuries.

Start with the things you see here. Roast one of the jalapenos; leave the other one or two jalapenos raw. DO NOT OMIT THE SEEDS as I mistakenly did, because you want this salsa to have a little kick.

Do you see how truly lazy I am about recipes? I can't even bear to measure so I take a picture and hope you get the gist.  I wonder... if I ever want to be a real chef or write a cookbook, if I'll have to be exact with my recipes.  They tell me, on NPR, that a good recipe must be very detailed.

Back to the salsa.  I don't like pico de gallo.  So, while you can chop all this and combine, I like mine pureed.  Blend all of the above in a food processor.  That's plum tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapenos (one roasted, the others raw), and the juice from one or two limes.  The spices you see are salt, pepper, and chili powder.  I use cherry or plum tomatoes, especially in the winter, because they have better flavor than regular, out-of-season tomatoes.

If you make the salsa the day before you want to eat it, the flavor will be better.

...On to guacamole.  I've made guacamole a million times.  I was busy the other night, so I asked Chris to make the guac.  Granted, I set out all the ingredients for him.  But I am the expert, right?  So I thought I might have to tinker a little with his finished product.

Wrong.  His was better than when I make it.  I think it was because he only had one task, which was to make guacamole, while I am usually juggling several dishes.  :)

Tofu Cream

I promise I'm not paid to promote The Kind Diet. But for now, I'm obviously obsessed with this book, so there'll be many more of Alicia Silverstone's recipes to follow.

Tofu cream.  Sounds weird.  But think, excellent sour cream/Greek yogurt substitute.

That means tofu cream is delicious in burritos, falafel wraps, pita sandwiches, taco salads, dolloped on top of spicy chili or vegetable purees, or anywhere you want a cool, tangy contrast.

To make the tofu cream, simmer a block of rinsed tofu in water for about 10 minutes.  Process it with a couple tablespoons of umeboshi paste, juice from one or two lemons, and a couple tablespoons of Vegenaise.  You won't miss sour cream or yogurt.  You also won't miss the calories!

Appetizer & Dip Party

Sometimes I get tired of one-pot dinners, or main dishes with three sides, or big dinner salads... basically, I just want things to be fun and different.  I think making several appetizers and having that for dinner - whether you're having people over, you have a family with kids to feed, or it's just two of you, like in my case last night - is a really fun change.  It makes things feel special and more interesting.  So last night we had three dishes with dip.  The first is a simple veggie platter with

white bean dip

:

I discovered that Chris loves radishes, as he ate them all immediately before he ate any of the other veggies! Who knew?

The second dish was fingerling potato fries with the 

roasted red pepper ketchup

 I made the day before.  All you do is toss these in olive oil, onions, and herbs and bake them on 350 for around an hour.  Roasted potatoes are one of our favorite dishes and I make them all the time.

Yes, that is indeed a John Deer tray.  I find that bringing this tray to parties is a great way to make things awkward in a fun way.

Okay, and the final dish was steamed veggie dumplings floating in miso soup with a plum dipping sauce.  Now that I know how easy wonton wrappers are to use, I'll be making these all the time and filling them with everything under the sun.

I made a plum sauce to accompany the dumplings, boiling down prunes because I had no plums with soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic, fresh ginger, lemongrass, and tons of fresh and dried chilies.  I then needed to add a little water to thin it out, and even more chilies.  Let it sit over night in the fridge and that stuff is delicious.

Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup

Here's the ketchup you requested, Heather!  Lauren, sorry I haven't tried baklava yet but I'm kinda scared.

First, let me just say, I'm actually in the middle of simmering the ingredients, and it smells and tastes insanely good.  Surprisingly good.  Because we like ketchup from the bottle, and why mess with a good thing?  You gotta try this recipe, and I haven't even sampled the finished product yet.  I'd rather have this on my hotdog any day.  If I still ate hot dogs.  Hmm.  Here are the ingredients:

That's brown sugar in the red bowl, fennel seed in the white bowl, red wine vinegar beside the cheap cab, and dried ancho chilies beside the tomato paste.  Dried ancho chilies are  a bitch to chop.  And here is what it looks like all mixed together:

I let this simmer for an hour, instead of the recommended 30 minutes.  Okay, and now that it's all done and pureed, here's what it looks like.  It's the middle container, flanked by marinara and vegetable stock.

Tomorrow for dinner I'll bake sweet potato and yukon gold fries for dipping in this ketchup.  Should be ridiculous, since I could barely stop myself from eating all this with a spoon!  Can't really say that about Heinz.