Archives for June 2015

lox and goat cheese omelets

06/25/2015 By

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I stopped at the grocery store today and bought salmon, green beans, scallions, cream cheese, chocolate chips, and oreos. This pretty much sums up my overall diet – very healthy, except for when it isn’t.

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Weekend breakfasts used to sit more in the “isn’t” category, but I’ve been moving them more often than not over into the healthy side (especially, I have to admit, in the month or two before our annual trip to the beach). Of course healthy means different things to different people, but one thing I try to do when I step it up a notch is increase my protein and reduce my starches. This means less scones and more omelets.

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This recipe takes my favorite bagel toppings and mixes them with eggs instead of bread. I replace the traditional cream cheese with goat cheese not just because goat cheese isn’t quite as rich as cream cheese, but because the stronger flavor of goat cheese holds its own better with the salty salmon and capers and sharp bites of onion. Eggs instead of bread might sound like a sad substitution, especially for a bagel lover like me, but I never feel like I’m missing out when I’m eating these omelets.

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Lox and Goat Cheese Omelets

4 servings

I like a little raw onion on my lox bagels, but if you don’t, you probably won’t like it here either.

10 large eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
¼ red onion, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons capers
6 ounces lox, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, and 2 ounces of goat cheese. In a second bowl, combine the remaining goat cheese, tomatoes, onion, capers, and lox.

2. Heat 1½ teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add one-quarter of the egg mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir the eggs in a circular motion for about fifteen seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the eggs cook, without moving, for about a minute. Use the spatula to lift up a small section of cooked egg along the edge of the pan; tilt the pan so raw egg can flow underneath the lifted portion. Repeat this motion around the edge of the skillet. Add one-quarter of the lox mixture, spreading evenly over half of the eggs in the pan. Cover the pan and let cook for 2-4 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Fold the bare half of the eggs over the filling, then slide the omelet onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs and filling.

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Filed Under: breakfast, cheese, eggs, gluten free, healthy, seafood, vegetables

barbecue turkey meatballs with cheddar-corn quinoa

06/19/2015 By

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This recipe might work better cooked inside, but it includes corn and barbecue sauce – that means summer, and summer means grilling. Meatballs, unfortunately, are tricky on the grill. You’d think putting them on skewers would work fine, but they tend to slide right off. You could, instead, grill barbecue turkey burgers to serve over quinoa, but then you’re just eating bunless burgers, and that doesn’t sound nearly as delicious as meatballs.

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So I’ve compromised on something a little bigger and a lot flatter than a meatball, but smaller than anything you’d put on a bun. The best name I can come up for these is, unfortunately, “patties”, which doesn’t sound nearly as tasty as meatballs. But it’s the same tasty ingredients; in this case, scallions, cilantro, and mustard add some interest to the meat mixture. The best part is the barbecue sauce slathered over the patties at the end of grilling.

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The quinoa has plenty going on with smoky grilled corn and chunks of cheddar cheese, but the flavors don’t compete with the meatballs. The whole thing goes together really well, and it ends up feeling like a treat despite how healthy it is. It’s become one of my favorite summer meals.

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Barbecue Turkey Meatballs with Cheddar-Corn Quinoa (adapted a bit from Pink Parsley)

Serves 4

I’m keeping ‘meatballs’ in the title because it sounds a lot more delicious than ‘patties’. We’ll just say these are flat meatballs.

Shredding cheese is faster, but I like to dice little cubes so I get bites of intense cheesiness.

I’ve been using this barbecue sauce, which has a strong molasses flavor. I’m not sure I’d like it for everything, but it’s great with this meal.

I was using part of an onion I’d already cut a chunk out of, so rings weren’t possible. Skewering works too, it’s just a little more work.

Meatballs:
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1 large egg yolk
1 pound ground turkey
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup barbecue sauce

Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1½ cups water
½ teaspoon salt
2 ears corn, shucked and rinsed
½ medium red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 scallion, sliced
1 cup (4 ounces) cubed or shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
black pepper

1. Prepare a medium-hot grill. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the quinoa sit for 10 additional minutes, still covered.

2. In a large bowl, combine the panko and egg yolk. Set aside for about 5 minutes, then stir to form a paste. Add the turkey, scallion, cilantro, mustard, and salt; mix to combine. Form into 12 small patties.

3. Place the corn directly over the coals and grill for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and caramelized in places. Grill the onions until browned and tender. Grill the turkey patties until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Generously brush the top of the patties with barbecue sauce, flip the patties, and brush the second side with the remaining barbecue sauce. Let cook for one additional minute.

4. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and stir in the apple cider vinegar, then the cilantro, scallion, cheese, olive oil, and black pepper. Cut the corn off the cob and add it to the bowl with the quinoa. Dice the grilled onions and stir them into the quinoa. Serve the turkey patties over the quinoa.

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Filed Under: cheese, grilling, healthy, summer, turkey, weeknight meal, whole grains

grenadine and orgeat

06/11/2015 By

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Tiki might sound like it’s all fun and games, but it helps to go at it with a liberal dose of snobbery. I’ve found that ingredients in cocktails matter significantly more than they do with food. Use store-brand artificial vanilla in your cookies instead of “good” vanilla and no one will be the wiser, but cutting corners on your rum quality can make your drink taste like rubbing alcohol.

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The quality of your syrups won’t be as distinct as the rum, but they do matter; plus, the ingredients to make your own are often cheaper than purchasing the pre-made syrup. Not only that, but it’s a lot easier to find almonds for sale than orgeat, even a cheap artificially-flavored version. Grenadine, by contrast, is readily available, but check out the ingredients – is it high fructose corn syrup and citric acid? If you’re using good rum and juicing fresh citrus, doesn’t your cocktail deserve real grenadine based on pomegranate juice instead of artificially-colored HFCS?

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Grenadine couldn’t be simpler to make – mix unsweetened pomegranate juice with sugar, heat it up until the sugar dissolves, and stir in lemon juice and orange flower water. Unfortunately, orgeat is not nearly so easy, but homemade orgeat is so rich, so aromatic, I can’t imagine that a commercial version comes close.

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Orgeat, by the way, is pronounced “oar-zsa”, as in Zsa Zsa Gabor, and it’s a syrup made from almond milk. The first step is to milk the almonds, and there’s no denying that it’s a bit of a chore – soak, grind, soak some more, squeeze, add sugar and orange flower water. (Okay, so orange flower water might not be so easy to find, but it is readily available online, and you don’t need much.) Then taste it, and you’ll immediately see why it’s such a common ingredient in tropical cocktails.

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It’s a lot of work for a drink when you could just open a can of beer or a bottle of wine instead, isn’t it? Tiki is more of a hobby for us than just a cocktail. But with richly flavored homemade syrups, it’s a very tasty hobby.

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Grenadine (slightly adapted from CHOW)

Makes about 1½ cups

1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon orange flower water

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the pomegranate juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and orange flower water. Store, refrigerated, for up to a month. (Can also be frozen for longer storage.)

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Orgeat

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups (8 ounces) almonds
4 cups water, divided
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
2 ounces vodka or brandy
2 teaspoons orange flower water

1. In a medium bowl, mix the almonds with 2 cups of water. Cover and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

2. Strain the almonds, discarding the water. Transfer the soaked almonds to a blender or food processor and process until most pieces are approximately the size of a grain of rice. Transfer the ground almonds back to the bowl and mix with another 2 cups of water. Cover and set aside to soak for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth; place the strainer in a larger bowl. Strain the almonds through the cheesecloth. When most of the liquid has been removed from the almonds, wrap the cheesecloth around the almonds and squeeze out any remaining liquid, massaging the almonds to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the almonds and cheesecloth.

4. Transfer the liquid to a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Heat over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature, then add the vodka or brandy and the orange flower water. Store, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to a month. (The orgeat can also be frozen.)

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Filed Under: alcohol, drinks, fruit, nuts, tiki

goat cheese and braised lamb shank ravioli

06/04/2015 By

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I do use my pasta roller for dishes other than ravioli – but not often. I make the occasional lasagna when I can carve out half a day, but cut pastas like fettuccine are rare. Homemade ravioli lets me get some of the creative flavor variations of lasagna with less – although not insignificant – effort.

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Some of my favorite ravioli recipes lend themselves to a nice plated first course, particularly the ones with fillings based on vegetables. But with braised meat as the star of this one, it’s rich enough to be the main course. I think the slight funkiness of goat cheese is the perfect complement to the gamey lamb.

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I didn’t want to lose or overpower any of that wonderful lamb flavor, so I reduced the winey braising liquid down to a sauce. Instead of using a starch for thickener, which could turn the sauce pasty and dull the flavor, I used gelatin. This makes a sauce that forms a glossy coating on the pasta. A little soy sauce (you could also use fish sauce) amplifies the meatiness of the whole dish. This is definitely a dish worthy of getting out the pasta roller.

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Braised Lamb and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Makes about 32 ravioli, serving 4 as a main course or 8 as a first course

I made my pasta using this method and the following ingredients: 5 ounces flour, pinch salt, 1 egg, 2 egg yolks, and ½ teaspoon olive oil.

1½ teaspoon gelatin powder
2 cups chicken broth
2 (1-pound) lamb shanks
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 large carrot, diced fine
1 celery stalk, diced fine
1 onion, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup unoaked red wine
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
10 ounces goat cheese
1 egg
¼ cup (½ ounce) grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
8 ounces fresh pasta, rolled to the second-to-last setting on a pasta roller

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In a measuring cup, sprinkle the gelatin over the chicken broth.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of oil to the pot and add the lamb shanks; cook, without moving, until darkly browned on bottom, about 2 minutes, then turn and brown on all sides. Transfer the lamb to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, and onions to the pot; cook, stirring constantly, until softened and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cooking, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red wine and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the broth with gelatin, rosemary, thyme, and browned lamb to the pot. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the lamb is tender and can be easily shredded, about 3 hours, turning the lamb shanks every hour.

3. Transfer the lamb to a clean plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and finely chop it.

4. Remove the rosemary and thyme from the liquid remaining in the pot and discard. Over medium-high heat, simmer until the liquid in the pot is reduced to ½ cup, about 8 minutes. Add the soy sauce. Cover and set aside.

5. Combine the shredded lamb, goat cheese, egg, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese.

6. Place one rounded tablespoon of filling every 2 inches along the length of a pasta sheet. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to wet the pasta along the long edges and between the filling. Fold the pasta sheet lengthwise over the filling, pressing around each ball of filling to seal the two layers of pasta together. Use a pizza cutter to cut between the filling to form squares of ravioli. Store the ravioli on a dry dish towel. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (Ravioli can be formed several hours in advance and covered and refrigerated or can be flash-frozen, then transferred to freezer bags and frozen for several weeks. Do not defrost before cooking.)

7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a tablespoon of salt and lower the heat until the water is at a lively simmer. Boil the ravioli in small batches until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes, using a skimmer or large slotted spoon to remove the ravioli from the boiling water and transfer them directly to a serving platter or individual plates or pasta bowls. Top with the sauce and addition parmesan and serve immediately.

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Filed Under: cheese, freezer friendly, italian, lamb, pasta