Schiller's Beet Salad

On Labor Day weekend back in 2005, I tagged along with Cassandra when she went to NYC for work. We stayed in a beautiful garden suite in Chelsea for a few days of sightseeing, then transferred to the Muse in Times Square for her business portion of the trip. That's when the vendors Cass was working with took us out to dinner.

In a sign of impending economic meltdown, these vendors apologized for their thriftiness and took us to the Lower East Side via subway (instead of town cars or cabs) and we ate at Schiller's Liquor Bar. Our hosts told us that neighborhood was "up and coming" with the cool people and would soon be THE place to be in NYC. I remember the run down and deserted streets as we got out of the subway. But Schiller's shone like a beacon on Rivington Street with the thrown open windows, white walls, and mirrors everywhere.

Little did we know, in only 3 years time Cassandra would move into the penthouse apartment a block down the street! And yes, the LES is now trendy hipster heaven and a highly desirable location with hoards of people on every street corner all night long.

Anyways, that night at Schiller's, they had a happy hour menu with $3 small plates (I remember so many things about this trip so clearly, it was one of my favorite trips ever!). One of the small plates was a beet salad. Weird, I know, for happy hour. Cass and I ordered one to share anyways.

This beet salad was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen on a plate. It came with some toast or bread, I think. The flavors were crunchy, sweet, acidic, fresh, and it was one of the best things I'd ever eaten. We ordered a second plate to share. We analyzed each ingredient so that we could make it again at home - and I've done so several times each summer since! Sadly, Schiller's no longer has this salad on their menu so I can never test my memory to see if I've got it right. But it doesn't really matter because I am very happy with the recipe this way.

Schiller's Beet Salad

3 cups beets, diced finely (Roasted or boiled and skins removed. I've even used canned.)

1 1/2 cups sweet corn, cut from fresh cob (again, I've used frozen or canned)

1/2 cup red onion, diced

A big handful cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Serve chilled with grilled bread or toast. It's prettiest on the first day before the beets stain the corn, feta, and cilantro red, but still tastes good up to a few days later.

ONE YEAR AGO: Roasted Tomato Sauce or Soup

Calzones

This recipe is exactly why I make so much stuff in advance for storage in the freezer. Ideally, this would be the perfect thing to make in the dead of winter to remind me of summer's amazing fresh basil and tomato flavors. But it also works on a chilly September night when you want to feed your hungry little brother.

As a result of my preparedness, my calzones are 100% made from scratch - and they were ready pretty quickly - because I had a whole wheat pizza dough, roasted tomato sauce, and pesto all ready to go in my freezer. I realize that this may be impractical for some people - however, store bought dough is acceptable! I don't agree that store bought tomato sauce or pesto are acceptable though since they are tastier and cheaper to make yourself (especially now when the ingredients are overflowing at the Farmer's Market!!!).

Zack and I argued over what to call these - Calzones or Homemade Hot Pockets. He wanted hot pockets (of course, he's a 20 year old guy, they love that crap!). I picked Calzones because it fit with all the other C-foods I've made this month. Plus, we stuffed them with pizza ingredients like mushrooms, green olives, zucchini, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

However, I like what Hot Pockets imply because they have so many more possible fillings than just pizza stuff. For example, you could stuff your Hot Pocket dough with chicken, broccoli, and cheddar or BBQ sauce, seitan (or mock duck), and provolone - yum! This is really more of a method than a recipe then - so use your imagination!

Calzones

whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or store bought)

basil pesto (preferably homemade)

tomato or pizza sauce (preferably homemade)

sauteed mushrooms

sliced green olives

sliced fresh zucchini

sliced fresh mozzarella

grated fresh parmesan

salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes

Roll out a small piece of dough to a circle of approx 6-8 inches in diameter, and about 1/8 inch thick. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the whole dough circle, leaving about 1 inch around the edge.

On half of the dough, spread a few spoonsful of tomato sauce, then top with your desired pizza toppings. Add cheese, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Carefully fold your dough into a half-moon shape and use a fork to press and seal the edges together. Use the same fork to punch several holes in the top of your calzone to let the steam escape during cooking. Brush or spray tops of calzones with olive oil, then add one final light dusting of salt.

Line your baking sheets with parchment or foil. This is important - the calzones will probably bust open and cheese will seep out. Trust me, you don't want to clean that up.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. Serve with additional tomato sauce for dipping.

ONE YEAR AGO: Huevos Rancheros

Zucchini Oat Bran Muffins

I have been hunting for a breakfast-type muffin recipe that's more healthy than sweet. Every recipe I saw was heavy on sugar and oil and called for very little veg. So I decided to make up my own recipe.

Now this isn't the sort of thing I normally do. Improvising on baking recipes normally spells disaster for me (exhibit A). But I used this recipe is a basic guideline and added or subtracted a little here and there to make these zucchini and oat bran muffins.

The result? Absolute perfection. I wouldn't change a thing about this made up recipe (but it will be fun to try!) because these muffins are exactly what I was craving. Not too heavy or dense, they're light and fluffy with a distinct buttery taste and mild sweetness. And best of all, a ton of healthy goodies are packed into the muffins - whole wheat flour, oat bran, zucchini, craisins, coconut, and walnuts.

I will definitely be making these again. I got one and a half dozen muffins from this batch and they freeze very well. By the time I take two out of the freezer, drive to work, and pour a cup of coffee, they are defrosted and ready to be gobbled up!

Zucchini Oat Bran Muffins, an original Ali recipe

1 stick of butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/4 cup oat bran

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl, but don't overmix. Bake at 350 degrees in greased muffin tins for 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 18 muffins.

ONE YEAR AGO: Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

Cherry Tomato Tart

Eating seasonally is not rocket science, because mother nature makes it easy on us (well, this month she does!). It's no coincidence that things like tomatoes and corn ripen at the same time - they taste great together. Last year I put them together in a pie. It was good, but this tart is a gazillion times more tasty, and easier too!

This simple but amazingly delicious tart has 4 main ingredients: corn, tomatoes, cheese, and crust. Roasted cherry tomatoes add such a richness to this tart that you just can't get any other way, and I've gone on and on already about my love of roasting so you know all about that.

But I don't think I'd yet appreciated the MAGIC of caramelizing. By caramelizing the corn (inspired by this recipe), you turn the sweet corn into a nutty, deep, complex flavor surprise.


The third flavor is goat cheese, or chevre. A creamy and tangy absolute delight. If you think you don't like chevre, I don't really believe you, but you can substitute ricotta cheese.


The final important ingredient in our cherry tomato tart is the shell itself. There are many options available for the shell. You could google the millions of tart shell recipes on the web and make your own from scratch, you could use a prepared pie crust, or you could do what I did and use an old leftover piece of puff pastry that you found languishing in the bottom of your deep freeze. Yum - puff pastry is super buttery and rich, perfect for a tomato tart!



Served with something green (like Quick Zucchini Saute), this is a simple but elegant and flavor-layered dinner. Cut into small pieces and served at room temperature, this could be a very impressive appetizer.


Cherry Tomato Tart with Caramelized Corn and Goat Cheese
1 puff pastry shell, thawed
2 ears leftover cooked corn, kernels removed from cob
1 small yellow onion, diced (I had 6-7 baby shallots from the Farmer's Market)
1 1/2 small logs fresh goat cheese, or chevre
1 pint cherry tomatoes

First, caramelize your corn: add 2 Tbsp butter to pan on high heat. Add corn/shallots and cook until everything in the pan begins to turn a deep brown hue. The corn may make popping sounds and it will start to smell a little like popcorn. It's done when all the corn and shallots have been tinged with a little brown color all over. Add a pinch of salt at the end.

Roll out pastry shell on lightly floured surface. Add to greased dish (I used a tart pan but cake pans or pie pans will work. You could also do a free-form tart with puff pastry). Use a rolling pin to remove excess crust.

Crumble or spread your chevre on top of your crust. Add a layer of caramelized corn. Top with cherry tomatoes - really pack them in because they'll shrink in the oven. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees, or until tomatoes are wrinkly and charred and crust looks golden brown.

Optional: after removing from oven, immediately sprinkle with freshly chopped or torn basil, chives, and/or thyme. I meant to do this but I forgot.

Codzpacho

Isn't it true that things taste so much better when someone else makes it for you? Randy offered to cook up some fish for our dinner last Friday and it was one of the best meals I'd eaten in a long time. I think it was because a) I didn't cook it, and b) it was really super delicious. Plus he completely made up the recipe in his head, which always impresses me.

He asked if I had any gazpacho in my fridge. Well, duh! It's late summer in MN and tomatoes are everywhere! Of course I have gazpacho in the fridge. He asked if he could use it to go with the cod he was bringing over. The answer to that is...if anyone brings fish over to my house with the intention of cooking it for me, you can use whatever you want from my fridge.

I was in charge of salad. And, having been inspired by an email from Cassandra, tried to recreate her peach and goat cheese salad. I added red onion and sunflower seeds and a killer vinaigrette using Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Randy coated the fish in olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried dill and put it in a saute pan with some butter. Then he added the gazpacho and some lemon juice. Extra tomatoes were served on top and it had a simply amazing flavor which paired extremely well with some late summer sweet corn.

For dessert, Rogue Chocolatier Piura - a decadent locally made sweet after-diner bite.

I was so happy with this Codzpacho recipe that I made it again for my parents who were at my house last night. But I changed it and cooked the fish en papillote (which just means wrapped up and baked in the oven). The packets puff up and the fish gets steamed inside the packet. After baking at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, the fish was perfectly cooked!

I served my Codzpacho with Quick Zucchini Saute and more corn on the cob. And Carrot Cake for dessert. Plenty of vegetables in this meal!

And even though mom and dad liked the meal, I couldn't help but think that Randy's version tasted better. My recommendation to you is to print this recipe and give it to someone and ask them to make it for you.

Codzpacho en Papillote

white fish fillets

dill (fresh or dried)

gazpacho, prepared (or simply chopped tomatoes or other veggies)

lemons

Coat fish with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and dill. Place on tinfoil or parchment and top with about 1/4 cup gazpacho or chopped tomatoes. Squirt with lemon juice. Wrap packages tightly by pinching the edges all the way around. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Alternatively, you could melt butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the seasoned fish and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side. Add gazpacho halfway through cooking. Fish is ready when it flakes easily when poked with a knife.

ONE YEAR AGO: Rainbow Rollup

Carrot Cake

I've been so patient. For weeks (maybe even months) I've grilled, sauteed, quickly pan-fried, or mostly made no-cook meals, just to avoid using my vintage oven. My oven is beautiful, but it radiates a massive amount of heat and it's just not possible to use in the midst of a hot summer.

Not that I'm complaining. At all! I have loved this summer's looooong heat wave immensely! But today the thermometer barely hit 60 degrees (after it was 93 on Monday!). And boy oh boy was I excited to come home tonight and bake a cake. A cake crammed with vegetables, no less! Vegetables picked, by me, from the muddy earth on a friend's farm in my hometown.

As a good blogger should, I researched to find the absolute best carrot cake recipe around. I googled. I searched Ina and Martha recipes. I looked in my hometown church cookbook, my grandma's church cookbook, Betty Crocker's cookbook, Orangette, etc etc etc. Do you know what I found out about carrot cake? Nearly every recipe has identical ingredients, but just in slightly different measurements. I take this to mean that it is pretty difficult to screw up carrot cake.

Of course you can bake this into a traditional 9x13 pan or even turn it into cupcakes. But since it's been so long since I've baked anything, I wanted to go fancy with layers and big swirls of yummy frosting.

I love how simple this recipe is. Especially if you have a grater attachment on a food processor so you don't actually have to grate 3 cups of carrots by hand. It's a one-bowl recipe, which your dishwasher will love. And, even though most recipes say to use a stand- or hand-mixer, it's not necessary (even for the frosting). Just stir with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula to mix all the ingredients.

Carrot Cake (adapted from many different recipes)

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground or fresh grated nutmeg

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Prepare your pans (9x13, two 9" rounds, or cupcake tin) by greasing and flouring bottoms and sides. I did line the bottom of my round pans with parchment but if you grease and flour properly I don't think that's necessary.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (my oven runs hot so I went a smidge less).

Whisk together all your dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then add your egg, oil, carrots, and nuts and mix to combine.

Pour mixture into pans and bake for 30 minutes, checking to see if cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool cakes in the pan for 15 minutes.

Remove cakes from pan and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from many different recipes)

2 (8 oz) packages room temperature cream cheese

1 stick room temperature unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Whip all ingredients together, either with mixer or spoon until creamy and spreadable.

ONE YEAR AGO: Dips and Spreads: Pesto, Tapenade, Hummus, and Edamole

Chicken Fajitas

Got tomatoes? How about hot peppers, bell peppers, and onions? If you have or know anyone who has a garden, or if you've visited a Farmer's Market lately - I'll bet you've seen your share of these late summer veggies.

Well, why not put them all to good use and make fajitas? You really don't even need those sodium-filled little packets of seasoning, it's super simple to make your own! Dump the spices into a bag, add your meat and veggies, throw the bag in your fridge, then go for a beautiful walk while things marinate.

I also like to add fresh and homemade salsa and guacamole to make the meal extra summery (plus it's a great way to use all those tomatoes). It really takes only a couple ingredients and a few minutes of your time, or even less time if you make them in advance!

Start by whizzing up a simple batch of pico de gallo in your food processor. I used red and yellow cherry tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, 1 seeded jalapeno pepper, 1 tsp salt, juice from 1/2 lime, and a whole bunch of cilantro. Pulse until everything is all chopped up.

Then make a simple batch of guacamole by smashing up 2 avocados, the juice of the other half of that lime, 1 big clove of minced garlic, and 1 tsp salt.

When you are ready to eat, just throw your fajita fixin's into a hot pan and cook until done. Serve on warmed corn or flour tortillas. PRESTO - you have just transformed a restaurant-worthy and historically indulgent meal into a local, fresh, and very healthy summer dinner!

Chicken Fajitas (adapted from Food & Wine)

2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I thought this was pretty mild, I would add more next time)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 small yellow onion, sliced

1 package sliced crimini mushrooms

Flour or Corn tortillas

Mix marinade ingredients in large Ziploc bag and shake to combine. Add your chicken and veggies and shake to coat. Refrigerate to marinate at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.

When ready to eat, heat large skillet over high heat (I used my wok!) with a capful of canola oil. Add contents of Ziploc bag. Cook until chicken is done, approximately 6 minutes.

Serve on warmed tortillas with your favorite toppings - pico de gallo, guacamole, smashed black beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, rice, etc.

ONE YEAR AGO: Heirloom Tomato Pizza