Coffee, Bird Houses, and Friends
Friends. What would life be without them?
Ours would be decidedly less fun and interesting, that's for sure.
Two days ago, a regular customer who has been in Costa Rica since December came in with a pound of Costa Rican coffee for me. What fun! We all know how much I love fun, unique, and interesting foods. And my love of a good cup of dark roast coffee is legendary. What could possibly be better than a pound of dark roast coffee labeled especially for me?!?
The coffee comes from Finca Flor Mar, in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
It is rich, it is flavorful, it is bold without being overly acidic and in-your-face. In short, the perfect cup of coffee. I'm drinking it iced, right now. Black. No sugar. No cream. The way Mother Nature intended it to be.
They do have a website but it appears to be getting updated and there's no information on how to purchase right now. I'll publish it when there is, because I would like to get more of this! Rachael said that they sell it as a fundraiser of sorts and I would definitely prefer giving my money to a sustainable farmer in Costa Rica than a multi-national corporation somewhere.
And what better way to celebrate coffee from a friend than sharing it with friends?!? This morning, Mike and Barbara stopped by from South Carolina on their way to NYC. I met Mike through an online newspaper bulletin board several years ago. Politically, we're on the same wavelength, and personally, we all just have a lot in common for being from such different places. They are just fun people. They stayed with us a year or so ago with their daughter on another trek to the Big Apple. Did I mention they're fun folks?!?
This trip, I made Lemon Corn Blueberry Pancakes with a Strawberry and Raspberry Maple Syrup. Did I take any pictures?!? Of the friends or the food?!? No. Oh well. It's not the pictures, it's the company and conversation. It was great seeing them, again, even if it was just for a couple of hours.
Back to coffee for a moment...
I bought Victor a way-cool, ridiculously expensive KitchenAid coffee maker a year or so ago. Problem was, it was about an inch too tall to sit on the counter under the cabinets. It had to live on the island. It brewed a really good cup of coffee - it actually heated the water hot enough - but it also took up valuable real estate. And the paint was corroding around where the water was poured in. Great features. Too big. Great coffee. Looked like hell. A perfect love/hate relationship.
After Mike and Barbara left, Victor and I were standing in the kitchen and he made an off-hand comment about getting a Mr Coffee. I looked over at the coffee maker and noticed the time was off by a couple of hours. I hit the button to change the time and - nothing. I turned the knobs, and no lights. I unplugged and plugged back in. Nothing. This time the clock was gone, too. Even though I knew the socket was working, I plugged it into another. More nothing.
Victor had hurt its feelings. The coffee maker committed suicide.
Oh well. I'm not about to cry over dead coffee makers. And I'm also not about to spend a gazillion dollars on a coffee maker, again. This last one replaced an $80 Cuisinart. Down to Kmart and a $38.00 Mr Coffee.
It just made a really good cup of coffee.
And back to friends...
Victor was talking to our next door neighbor, Ed, this morning, and Ed said he had a bird house for us. Ed's wife, Peg, calls him Geppetto. He has his woodworking shop down in the basement and is down there for hours on end making and creating. He has done commission work replicating complete homes for people.
They are the perfect neighbors. The day we signed the papers on the house we were standing out front when he walked by with their dog. He said "You boys buy the house?" When we replied, yes, he said "Good! I'll be over with a bottle of whiskey." The perfect neighbor.
Peg used to drive around in a bright yellow MG until her health went down hill. She's slowed down but refuses to stop. She's quite the amazing woman.
So it's been a day of friends and sharing.
And we're very grateful for all of it.
Substantial Scampi
Victor comes through, again.
I pulled a bag of shrimp out of the freezer this morning, thinking I'd do a bit of a pasta and vegetable dish with it. Substantial Scampi. Just a simple this-'n-that dish.
Victor had the same idea - what a surprise, there - and when I got home, said he would take care of dinner.
No need to ever say that to me twice. I love to cook, but when someone else is cooking, I'm eating. I know how to vacate a kitchen. Fast. Before second thoughts can take root.
I was outta there.
Dinner was brilliant in its simplicity... shrimp quickly sauteed in a bit of olive oil and lemon dill butter. He then added an orange bell pepper, garlic, peas, fresh herbs from the garden, sliced heirloom cherry tomatoes, some shredded parmesan cheese, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
He then added the cooked mini cheese ravioli, added a bit more cheese, and dinner was served!
He also baked off the last of the no-knead bread dough in the 'fridge.
Shrimp and pasta with warm homemade bread. Creamy, rich, flavorful, and just what I wanted.
I'm spoiled.
And I love it!
Raspberry Scrippelle
I've gone from never hearing about a crepelle or scrippelle in my life to getting several sweet and savory recipes in a matter of a couple of weeks.
The first came from La Cucina Italiana magazine - a Raspberry and Apple Crepe, and the second from Lidia Bastianich's latest book Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy.
I knew after making Lidia's Crepelle with Spinach that the crepes would be wonderful as a sweet as well as a savory.
Tonight was the night to put it to test.
This is definitely in the category of "Wing-It Recipes".
I made the crepes from Lidia's recipe, cutting it in half.
For the filling, I took about 3/4 cup of ricotta and mixed it with a teaspoon of sugar and about a tablespoon of marsala.
I spread a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each crepelle and sprinkled on fresh raspberries and then folded them into quarters.
For the topping, I mixed about a half-cup of sour cream with a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. I topped each plate with some, added more raspberries, and then sprinkled cocoa powder on top.
They are thicker than a French crepe which is good for holding up to the fillings and folding.
I see a lot more possibilities.....
Scrumptious Salads and Fear of Food
Friday weigh-in. Lost another pound.
I keep thinking that if I was reasonably serious about this, I could actually lose some serious weight. But, on the other hand, by not really trying to lose a lot of weight - and definitely not dieting - the pounds are actually dropping a bit. I really do know how easy it is to gain weight. I could very easily walk into a 12-step program and say "Hello, my name is Tim. I'm a foodaholic."
I love food. I love to eat. I love all types of food, all areas, regions, nationalities, and cuisines. The absolute perfect vacation for me would be to spend 2 weeks in a place - a villa in Sicily, a flat in Paris, or something in the south of France... Someplace with a reasonably-equipped kitchen, a view, and a marketplace within walking distance. I could cook and eat for two weeks and never feel the need to "go out and do something". Hello, my name is Tim. I'm a foodaholic.
And because I love food so much, I just don't understand how so many people can be afraid of it. And so ignorant of it. All day long I overhear conversations from people who "won't eat this because it has carbs in it" or zero in on the 6 grams of fat per serving and completely disregard the 20 grams of protein and other nutrients.
Or won't buy potato chips (1oz = 150 kcal, 10gr fat - 1gr sat, 180mg sodium, 15gr carbs, and 2 gr protein) but pick up bags and bags of "Veggie Chips" (1oz = 150 kcal, 9 gr fat - 2gr sat, 100mg sodium, 16gr carbs, and 1gr protein). I don't buy a lot of potato chips because I know that while they are really crunchy/salty/good, they're also high in calories. I can polish off a bag pretty easy. I don't buy them often. But I also don't try and fool myself that I can have my junk craving by buying "veggie chips".
Of course, my favorite is the evil of all evils - butter.
You know... butter. Ingredients: Sweet cream.
1 tbsp = 100 calories, 11gr fat - 6gr sat, 0gr sodium, 0gr carbs, 0gr protein.
Instead, it's some sort of oil-stuff made to semi-resemble butter. With all sorts of stuff in it. "Leading Brand" Ingredients: Natural Oil Blend (Palm Fruit, Soybean, Canola Seed, and Olive Oils) Water, contains Less than 2% of Salt, Whey, Vegetable Monoglycerides and Sorbitan Ester of Fatty Acids (Emulsifiers) Soybean Lecithin, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid (to Protect Freshness) Natural and Artificial Flavor, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin E (DL-a-Tocopheryl Acetate) Beta-Carotene Color.
1 tbsp = 80 calories, 9gr fat - 3gr sat, 90mg sodium, 0gr carbs, 0gr protein.
Why would I want to eat something like that? What on earth is Sorbitan Ester of Fatty Acids? Oh. Here we go... Sorbitan esters of fatty acid is called sorbitan ester, which is produced by esterification of sorbitol and fatty acid. It is a mixture of sorbitol ester and sorbide ester, which are simultaneously produced as well as sorbitan ester.
In my phony butter spread stuff. Because Sorbitan Ester of Fatty Acids is better for my body that sweet cream?!?
I don't think so.
I'm not trying to fool myself here, either. I know what butter is and what it does. Too much of it - or of just about anything for that matter - is not going to be a good thing. It's just a matter of knowing what it is you're eating and knowing that too much of even a good thing is not always a good thing. But real, fresh ingredients will always be better than something that came out of a chemistry class. Our bodies were designed to eat and process food - not stuff that has been engineered and re-engineered to look like food. Do you find it a mere coincidence that as a nation, we have gotten fatter and fatter with the introduction of more and more "light", "lite", and "diet" foods?!?
I don't.
I did put some butter on our homemade whole wheat garlic, fresh herb, and cheese bread tonight. Not a lot. It didn't need a lot.
The bread dough was the no-knead to which I added some chopped fresh herbs and garlic, along with a tiny bit of grated cheese I had left over in the 'fridge.
The salads were mixed greens, heirloom cherry tomatoes, zucchini, diced plums, and a bit of cauliflower with a balsamic vinaigrette Victor whipped up. Topped with half of a thick-sliced grilled boneless pork chop.
Real food. Stuff my body recognizes as food and knows how to process.
And speaking of real food...
It's time for dessert.
A Raspberry Scrippelle.
Leftovers
We don't get a leftover backlog very often, because when we have them, Victor usually eats them for lunch. Alas, he's been looking to lose that elusive 10 pounds and has been eating a bit lighter... cottage cheese and fruit and that sort of fun summer stuff. Great for him, but hell on my dinner planning. I mean, there's just no way I can continue to make new stuff if there's old stuff backing up in the 'fridge.
So... those pork chops are on hold for one more night. Tonight was a revisit with the Mexican Spaghetti Pie and a nice salad. It's great to see those tupperware containers get emptied out.
Part of the salad was leftovers, also - the last of the Corn and Barley salad from Sunday. The rest of the salad was random odds and ends from the vegetable bin. It's getting a good clean-out, as well.
And really, this is what cooking is all about. Taking stock of what you have and making a good meal out of it. It's not that difficult to grab a recipe, go to the store and buy the exact ingredients you need, and come home and make it. It's also not that difficult to open the 'fridge and create something with the odds and ends already in the house. My thought process has always been the worst thing that can happen is I throw it all out and call for pizza.
Well... while I do admit there have been a few things I probably won't make again, I've never had to call for pizza.
And dessert is a bit of a leftover, as well. Fruit Cobbler Victor made last night.
It was great... Cinnamon biscuits atop peaches, pears, blueberries... a bit of a clean-out-the-'fridge-dessert to begin with!
Leftovers are my friend.
Yum.
Scallops Wrapped with Zucchini
I've been thinking about this for a while. Scallops wrapped with zucchini. How could it be bad? Especially if they're brushed with homemade lemon dill butter?
Well... they weren't bad, at all. In fact, they were so good, both of us were sopping up our empty plates with homemade whole wheat bread. We haven't done that trick in a while.
My original plan was to grill them outside, but it's a bit chilly and rainy out, so I thought a pan-fry would work just fine. Victor suggested the panini maker. It was an excellent idea! They came out perfectly cooked in just a couple of minutes.
I made the lemon butter last week. Very basic compound butter.
Lemon Dill and Parsley Butter
- 2 cubes butter (edited to explain that a "cube" is a "stick" of butter, or 1/4 pound)
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Mince dill and parsley in food processor. Add the zest of 1 lemon and all the juice. Add the pepper and mince everything very fine.
Add the butter and pulse until completely incorporated.
Use on seafood, bread, pasta, to cook vegetables, etc.
For the scallops, I thinly sliced a zucchini lengthwise using my mandoline. I sliced each slice in half, lengthwise, and wrapped one piece around each scallop, securing it with a toothpick.
I then brushed them with melted Lemon Dill Butter and put them on a very hot panini press. About three minutes later, they were done.
The potatoes were quite easy, as well. I boiled 2 russet potatoes and drained them. In a skillet, I sauteed about 2 ounces of diced pancetta with about a quarter-cup of minced onion and 1 minced clove of garlic. I put the potatoes into the skillet, did a coarse-mash and added about a quarter-cup of sour cream, salt & pepper. Mixed it all together.
This really was a fun dinner! The lemon really came through from the butter and the scallop and zucchini went perfectly together. The potatoes? Total yum.
And that whole wheat bread...
I'm still making the no-knead bread and loving it! I tweaked the basic recipe to make a whole wheat version. Not for any health reasons. I just happen to like the flavor of whole wheat bread better.
No-Knead Bread
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 envelopes dry yeast
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 cups lukewarm water
Mix everything together to form a fairly wet dough with no dry spots. Let rise, partially covered, about 3 hours at room temperature.
Punch down and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make a loaf of bread:
Preheat oven with baking stone to 450°. Form 1/4 of the dough into a ball. Place on cornmeal dusted peel or on a piece of parchment paper. Let rise about 45 minutes. Make 2 deep slashes in the top of the dough with a sharp knife and slide onto the stone. If you use the parchment paper, you can place the bread on the paper onto the stone.
Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.
For a crunchier crust, place a sheet pan on a rack under the stone when preheating the oven. When you put the dough in the oven, pour a cup of hot water into the sheet pan and quickly close the oven. The resulting steam will create a crunchier crust!
Tummy's full. Victor's in the kitchen planning a dessert for later.
I'm a happy camper.
Tuna on the Barbie
It is absolutely perfect weather here. Perfect. 72°, slight breeze, no humidity. Did I mention perfect?!? It's perfect.
Of course, perfect weather requires dinner cooked outdoors on the grill. And what better thing to grill than Asian-inspired tuna steaks?
I marinated the steaks in a bit of soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Onto the barbie they went.
Meanwhile, I made a bit of a spicy fruit compote for the top. I often make cold fruit salsas for seafood, pork, chicken, whatever, but rarely cook it. Tonight, I cooked it.
I sauteed a shallot in a bit of butter and added one diced peach, and one diced plum. I cooked them for a bit and then added some rice wine and cooked it down. I had about a third of a pint of raspberries, so they went in as well. Finally, I added some sambal oelek for kick. When the tuna was done, I spooned it on top.
I really like sweet and spicy combinations, and this one worked really well. And it played well against the slightly soy-salty tuna marinade and the crunchy toasted sesame seeds.
Very simple black japonica rice and cauliflower and broccoli steamed with a bit of soy sauce in the water finished off the plate.
Pork chops are definitely on the menu for tomorrow night. Grilled with grilled potatoes.
Thursday, I think I'm going to grill scallops. I need to think of what do do with them...
Mexican Spaghetti Pie
A while back I picked up a package of corn noodles at the Asian grocery store. I had no idea what I was going to do with them - corn noodles really aren't something I associate with the Far East - but I picked them up, anyway. I think they may have been 99¢. Inexpensive and different. Two of my favorite things. Into the shopping cart they went.
At home, they went into the cabinet. And stayed there, languishing amongst the other things I've picked up here and there but have yet to use.
Until today.
Last night, while taking inventory for my grocery shopping this morning, I saw them and took them down. I decided they were going to be a part of dinner tonight. I wasn't sure what, but they were going to be dinner.
As I said, corn noodles don't immediately shout out Asia to me, but corn screams Mexico. I was trying to envision some sort of Mexican spaghetti dish but all I was seeing was tamales. Then the idea of spaghetti pie hit me. It's like a tamale pie but with corn noodles instead of masa. How could it be bad?!?
The answer, of course, is "It wasn't!".
I dirtied several pots and pans making the "one-pot" dinner, but the end result was worth it. And I sliced it almost immediately after taking it out of the oven instead of waiting for it to set up a bit, so... no pictures of the plate. It wasn't exactly photo-quality. But it sure did taste good.
Mexican Spaghetti Pie
- 8 oz corn spaghetti noodles
- 4 oz cheddar cheese
- 4 oz quesso fresco or ricotta salada
- 1/2 cup ricotta, drained
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 jar Sofrito sauce
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 10" pie plate.
Cook corn noodles according to package instructions. Drain and cool. Mix 1 pat melted butter into noodles. Add two slightly beaten eggs and the shredded cheddar cheese.
Mix well and place in pie plate, working it up the sides to create a "crust".
Saute onion in a pat of butter or oil. Add cumin and chipotle powder and cook until fragrant. Add pork and cook completely.
Spread cooked pork mixture over noodles, staying within the noodle crust.
Mix the ricotta with the quesso fresco. Spread on top of the pork mixture, covering it completely.
Spoon one jar of Sofrito sauce on top, covering the cheese mixture completely.
Top with sliced tomato.
Bake at 350° for about an hour.
I suppose I should have let it set longer and tried to take out smaller slices.
It didn't look that great falling apart, but it had all the flavors I was looking for!
I can see a few different variations on this.
And who knows... maybe I'll even find a Vietnamese recipe for the corn noodles.
It could happen!
Burgers and Salads
This was one of those days where I felt like making stuff, but nothing seemed to go together - or, at least, what I had wasn't what I wanted. I made a black barley and corn salad earlier, Victor had made a huge fruit salad, and I had burger thawing. But I didn't want burgers. Or, I didn't want plain ol' burgers. For a brief moment I thought Salisbury Steak, but gravy didn't go with cold corn salad and fresh fruit.
I grabbed my new Lidia cook book for inspiration.
She had a recipe for a meatloaf - but I wasn't in the mood for meatloaf. But I did have all the ingredients. I decided to make the meatloaf into burgers! I mean... meatloaf is just a big hamburger with stuff in it, right?!?
So... dinner is burgers with stuff in them. Problem solved.
Needless to say, I cut the ingredients waaaaaay down - I pretty much quartered the recipe. And it came out real good! Here's her recipe. Try making the meatloaf. I'll bet it's good, too!
Polpettone di Manzo con Ricotta
Lidia Bastianich
Serves 8 or more
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups day- old bread cubes, from a loaf of country bread
- 3 pounds ground beef (freshly ground preferred)
- 3 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 pound drained fresh ricotta (about 2 cups), plus more for the sauce if you like
- 1 bunch scallions,finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano- Reggiano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ pound fresh mozzarella, cut in ½- inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- ¼ cup extra- virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 cups tomato sauce
Recommended equipment: A sturdy roasting pan, 10 by 17 inches or larger
Preheat oven to 375º. Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a bowl, and let soak for a few minutes, until the bread is saturated.
Squeeze the soft bread a handful at a time, pressing out as much milk as you can (discard milk, or give it to a pet), then tear bread into small shreds and toss back into the bowl. Crumble the ground beef into the bowl, and add the eggs, ricotta, scallions, grated cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Fold and toss everything together, and squeeze the mixture a few times between your fingers to distribute all the ingredients evenly. Scatter the mozzarella cubes on top, and fold and mush them throughout the loaf mix.
Brush the roasting pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Gather the meat mixture in the bowl, turn it into the pan, and shape it into a fat oval loaf. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover the pan with foil—tent it so it doesn’t touch the meat—and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the meatloaf is browned all over and completely cooked through, another 1 hour and 30 minutes or so. (If you check the loaf with a meat thermometer, it should reach a temperature of 160º.) Remove the roast from the oven, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Heat the tomato sauce to a simmer in a saucepan as the meat rests. Turn off the heat, and, if you like, stir ½ cup or so fresh ricotta into the sauce. Cut the loaf crosswise in the pan or on a cutting board, in slices as thick as you like. Serve on warm dinner plates, topped with a spoonful or two of sauce, and pass more sauce at the table (or, for family- style serving, arrange the slices on a warm platter, topped with some of the sauce). To accompany this meatloaf, I love braised broccoli rabe (broccoli di rape) or escarole, served on a separate plate or platter.
Note: If you love fresh ricotta, as I do, you can stir some into the tomato sauce, too, just before serving the meatloaf.
The Corn, Black Barley, and Bean Salad was a whim.
I had two ears of fresh corn I wanted to use for something other than corn on the cob. I opened the cabinet and the first thing I saw was the black barley. Hmmmmm... corn and black barley salad. Sounds good. I was thinking black beans would go well with it - but I didn't have any black beans in the cabinet! Pintos, great northern, and red kidney. The kidney won. They're better cold in a salad, anyway.
The dressing was a no-brainer. Ruth and I used to make a shrimp, corn, and pea salad with a lime and mayonnaise dressing. I had limes and I had mayonnaise. A salad was born.
Corn, Black Barley, and Bean Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn, cut from the cob and blanched (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen, thawed)
- 1/2 cup black barley, cooked, drained, and cooled (or grain of choice - rice, farro, wheat berries, wild rice, etc...)
- 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or beans of choice)
- 2 tbsp assorted fresh herbs, minced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 lime - zest and juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mix corn, beans, and barley. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, and lime zest. Add minced herbs, salt and pepper.
Cover and chill.
These are some of the easiest and most basic salads one can make, and they're especially good and refreshing on a hot day. The lime brings a fresh taste that cannot be compared. And they're ready in the time it takes to cook the grain. If you have fresh herbs growing in the garden, just grab some and mince them up. It really doesn't matter which herbs you use. It's the freshness that comes through.
You can switch out the vegetable, the grain, the bean, add chicken, shrimp, tofu, or diced cooked pork tenderloin. The constant is the mayonnaise and the lime.
Yum.
Cleanin' the 'Fridge
We took a trip down to Gentile's Produce early this morning. I normally eschew Sunday Shopping. In fact, I try not to leave the house at all, if possible, but the timing was right. Leave the house before 8 and home by 9. Beat the crowds.
Every couple of weeks I usually clean out the produce bins, reline them with paper towels, and start reasonably fresh.
But today, as I looked in the 'fridge, it was looking a bit scrungy. The door shelves were funky, the shelves were funky, and the bottom was looking especially funky.
Time to bite the bullet and clean the whole thing.
Out came the condiments and other door-shelf items.
Out came the door-shelves. And the shelves. And the bins. And the bin frames and light covers, and everything else. I emptied the refrigerator. Completely.
We bought the 'fridge new in April of 2001. This is the first time I have taken it completely apart. And I am pleased to report that it actually wasn't disgusting. There were plenty of crumbs and the remains of a red sugary spill from who knows when, but nothing growing anywhere. I had the thing completely taken apart, cleaned, put back together and refilled in less than 45 minutes. I was pleased.
Another great thing is I only tossed one "leftover" container... some rice from the other night I knew we weren't going to utilize any time soon. Everything else was current and usable!
What I really should do now is tackle the freezer side. I really should. But not today. Weather is getting nasty outside. Winds and all. Calling for big hail, tornado watch, all sorts of stuff. If we lost power while I was cleaning, we could lose all that frozen stuff. That would be a bad thing.
So. Potential bad weather is keeping me from finishing the job.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
The Italian Does Italian
We were sitting out in the back yard and Victor said "You didn't take anything out of the freezer this morning". I hadn't. There was a package of fresh tortellini in the 'fridge, and some veggies that needed using up. I told him I thought I'd cook the tortellini and do a bit of a veg sauce with it.
And it was at that point I heard those two words I just love to hear... "I'll cook".
There's just something about having dinner cooked for me now and again that just makes life grand.
I love to cook and would absolutely hate not being able to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but it is also just so wonderful to have dinner prepared for me once in a while. And Victor does know how to prepare a meal!
Where I was going to make one dish, Victor made two - eggplant parmesan and the tortellini melange.
The eggplant was excellent! He took a baby eggplant and sliced it and breaded it with seasoned panko breadcrumbs. He overlapped the breaded slices on a sheet pan, added a bit of sauce I had made a few days ago, fresh mozzarella, and a bit more sauce. Into a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, into a hot skillet went some olive oil, garlic, pancetta, yellow zucchini, green zucchini, broccoli and tomatoes. He cooked it all together and then added the cooked tortellini, some grated cheese, fresh from the garden herbs, and a sprinkling of pepper.
It is funny how the same ingredients can be imagined so differently. It's one of the reasons why we seldom have the same meal twice. We do have our favorites that we make now and again, but for the most part, if we're not making a specific recipe, meals are put together on a whim.
And we have lots of whim in our house!
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
I'm not exactly sure how I went from Clafouti to Chocolate Cookies. Sometimes things just happen, I guess. And as I sit here with chocolate and cherry and more chocolate, I think I'm glad it took the turn it did. These are some pretty good cookies! The original recipe comes from the Northwest Cherries website.
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 48 sweet fresh cherries, pitted
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Heat oven to 350°.
Combine flour, baking powder, and cocoa. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Scoop dough into 1-inch balls, placing 1/2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press cherry into center of each cookie.
In small pan over low heat, combine chocolate and condensed milk; heat until chocolate is melted. Spoon about 1 teaspoon chocolate mixture over each cherry. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until done.
Cool and enjoy.
They are even better than they sound - and they sound fantastic!
The cookies are slightly cakey, with a sweet cherry burst, and that creamy dark chocolate finish.
I've already eaten four of them. I think I have room for one more...