No Knead Homemade Bread--Two recipes

So I've been experimenting with baking bread at home of and on for a few months now. I always thought baking bread was hard and time consuming, and it can be, but have found two no-knead recipes/methods that work well. It's also much cheaper and more convenient. If you are interested in baking your own bread, give them a try and see what method works best for you.

No Knead Crusty Bread
The first is the No Knead Crusty Bread from King Arthur flour. It's great because you always have dough in the fridge--risen and ready to go. You can have a fresh loaf in about an hour. Here is the recipe and method: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe

This is one attempt at making it.

4-Hour No-Knead Bread
The second method is very similar to the previous and can be found here: http://www.instructables.com/id/4-Hour-No-Knead-bread/

The recipe says to let it sit for at least four hours. I sometimes will make this in the morning and let it sit on the counter all day so it's ready when I get home.

Here's a picture of the latest loaf I made.

Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue

This is a family tradition, especially in Winter around the holidays. It's really fun for a casual gathering or as an appetizer. 

Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ½ pounds grated Alpine cheeses–¾ pounds Gruyère and ¾ pounds Emmentaler*
• 1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 cup dry white wine, I recommend Sauvignon Blanc for its high acidity
• 1 ½ Tbsp Kirsch, also called Kirschwasser, it’s a clear cherry brandy**
• Fresh ground pepper
•  Fresh grated nutmeg

Instructions        

• Rub inside of the fondue pot with the garlic glove, coating the inside. Discard remains of the clove. Light the burner and out the pot in place.***
• Combine the grated cheeses and toss with the cornstarch.
• Add the cheese to the pot in handfuls along with the lemon juice and wine. Slowly stir the cheese as it melts before added more. This takes about 10 minutes. When the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, add the kirsch, pepper and nutmeg.
• Use bread chunks, apples, pears, baby carrots, or cauliflower for dippers.

Notes:

* I recommend equal parts Gruyère and Emmentaler. However, if you want you can add other Alpine cheeses, like Swiss or Comté, or other high-quality firm Alpine cheese. You can use one or any combination. Also, be sure the cheese is grated so it melts easily and doesn't overcook.

**The Kirsch can be omitted, but it is tradition. You could also use try apricot, pear, or apple, if you want.

***If you don’t have a fondue pot you can make the sauce on the stove in a heavy cast iron pot on medium-low heat.

Baba Ghanoush

I love eggplant, and I love baba ghanoush, a lovely dip served similar to hummus, but with eggplant instead of chickpeas. It's also smoky and garlicky and just delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 large eggplant
• 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
• 1 bulb, plus 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• oil olive
• chopped parsley

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place a bulb of garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap tightly so that no oil can escape. Place into oven.
• Pierce the skin of the eggplants 4-5 times with a fork.
• If you  have a grill or gas stove, roast the whole eggplant, turning so that the skin turns black. If not, go to next step.
• Prepare a sheet tray by lining with foiling and coating with olive oil 
• Slice eggplants in half length-wise and transfer eggplant to baking sheet, cut side down
• Roast in oven until completely soft, about 20-30 minutes depending on size.
• Remove and let cool slightly. Scope out the roasted eggplant, discarding the skins, and place in a bowl.
• Using a fork, immersion blender, or food processor mash the eggplant.
• Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin and mix. Add more tahini and lemon juice as needed.
• Drizzle with olive oil and chopped parsley. 
• Serve with pita chips, baby carrots, or sliced cucumbers.

Note: I like to make this at least a few hours ahead of time, or even the day before, so that the flavors have a chance to mingle. 

Spaetzle

My Swiss-German grandmother made these and I love them as a side, or just plain with a little butter and salt. Posting this to go with my Chicken Paprikash recipe, that is not my grandmother's but I'm pretty sure she would have liked it!

Spaetzle

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup water (or milk)
• 2 cups flour
• dash of nutmeg

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients, add the flour last, a little at a time.
• Let rest for about 10 minutes
• Boil a large pot of water
• Drop small amounts of dough into the boiling water. I don't have the technique of my grandmother using a cutting board and knife, so I use the back of a spoon, or you can use a spaetzle maker or cheese grater to make a consistent size.
• When the noodle are done, they will float to the top. Remove with slotted spoon.
• Rinse in a colander in cold water.

Serve with Chicken Paprikash, or add to soup or stews, or fry in a pan with butter.

Whipped Cauliflower

Ahh, whipped cauliflower--some refer to it ask Faux Mashed Potatoes. But there are no such things as a fake potatoes. Potatoes are sacred to me, so don't even try to mess with them. Thanks.

While cauliflower can be prepared similar to mashed potatoes, and can be served in lieu of mashed potatoes, as a low carb option, this is a tasty dish all on it's own.  This is very simple recipe, but it gives a nice consistency and you can dress it up or down as you wish.

Whipped Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 3-4 Tbsp. butter
• 2-3 Tbsp. half and half or heavy cream
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Clean and cut up the cauliflower, steam for about 10 minutes, until soft and tender--easily pierced with a fork.
• In a bowl with and immersion blender, add remaining ingredients and whip until smooth.
• Stir in any cheese, herbs, or other additions you wish.
• Serve while hot.

OMGarlic Scapes!!!!!

So in my CSA share last week, I got 10 garlic scapes. If they hadn't been labelled, I wouldn't have even known what those green swirly things were. I didn't feel bad though, I split my share with my friend, she went to culinary school. A few days after we got our share and she asked me what I did with mine.

Luckily, I had already hit the Internet and discovered that garlic scapes are the green tops of the garlic plant. They're similar to green onions or chives; however, they they have a lovely mild, sweet taste of garlic.

I LOVE garlic and always have it around. What self-respecting Italian-American lives in a house where there is no garlic in the kitchen? Exactly. So, I was super-excited and have been enjoying them all week! I put them in an omelet. I whipped them into some cream cheese to schmear on a bagel. I made brushetta. I sauteed them with some zucchini. I tossed them in a salad. I put them in a chicken marinade. I made salad dressing.

I had my garlic and it was lovely. Because the taste was so mild, I used garlic in ways I normally wouldn't. Sometimes, my beloved garlic gets a little overpowering, especially when you don't cook it. I would never have mixed crushed garlic into cream cheese for my morning bagel. I would be unkissable for a day!!! The brushetta was my favorite--it just made it taste so fresh--and I don't usually get to enjoy the flavor of garlic in a salad, so that was very enjoyable. So I learned about another new vegetable and maybe now you have too!

I hope they put some more in my basket next week.

Sweet and Sour Collard Greens

OMG!!! These are so delicious. Of course they are--they have bacon. Because they are a superfoody, green leafy vegetable, they kind need the flavor, but overall they are still pretty healthy.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. white flour
• 1/3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• pinch of salt
• 2 c. collard greens, chopped with stems removed

Instructions:

1. Fry the bacon in a large frying pan, until crisp. Remove from pan, cover and set aside. Do not drain the bacon grease from the pan.
2. Combine the water, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper and salt and set aside.
   
3. On medium heat, whisk the flour into the bacon grease. Add the liquid mixture
4. Reduce heat to low and add the greens a handful at a time. Cover and steam for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Vegetable Curry Rice

This is an easy one-pot meal you can make on the stove or in a rice cooker. Just put all the ingredients together and in about 20-30 minutes, it's done. I really like this dish for potlucks, because I can make it in my rice cooker in about 30 minutes, so it's hot and fresh. It's also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, so it basically will be edible by everyone, unless of course they don't like curry.

Vegetable Curry Rice

• 2 cups white or brown rice (I prefer basmati or jasmine)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (I prefer fresh)
• 2 Tbsp. curry spice mix (use a pre-made blend or see below)

Curry spice blend:

• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• garlic powder (optional)

Fill a pot with the proper amount of water according to directions (soaking brown rice if instructed). Bring to a boil. Add the rice, vegetables, and spice and cook rice until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy.

If using a rice cooker, you can soak the rice in the cooker and when ready, add the vegetables and spice and turn the rice cooker on. It should be ready in about 20-30 minutes depending on your rice cooker.


Notes:

1. To save time chopping vegetables can buy Mirapoux (diced celery, carrots, onions) at Trader Joe's in their vegetable section. They also have fresh English peas that work well.
2. You can also toss in chopped roasted or baked chicken.

Tortellini Artichoke Salad

Spring is here! And it's time for salad and outdoor gatherings. Now I love potato and macaroni salads, but I'm not a huge mayonnaise fan, especially at an afternoon backyard barbeque when its over 80 degrees. So you will notice most of my salads are a vinegar base.

Here is one of my favorite salads to bring with me that is quick and easy to make. You can basically add or substitute any vegetables you like to make this your own. You can also serve the leftovers over lettuce for an instant green salad!

Tortellini Artichoke Salad

• 1 lb. cheese tortellini
• 8 oz. marinated artichokes, chopped (reserve marinade)
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small red or yellow pepper, chopped
• 8 oz. grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 c.shredded carrots
• pepper (to taste)
• 3 Tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini according to instructions. In the meantime, drain the artichoke and reserve the marinade in a small bowl and chop artichoke into bite size pieces. Prepare remaining vegetables and put in a large bowl.

Add the vinegar to the artichoke marinate and whisk to make a dressing and pour over the salad. Add pepper to taste and stir.

Put the salad in the fridge to cool completely. Then stir 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the remaining on top. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Crunchy Asian Cole Slaw

This one is always a hit. There are tons of versions of cole slaw with ramen noodles, but this is my favorite. The toasted nuts and seeds give it an extra crunch and combined with the sesame oil, it has a real rich toasted flavor. My family thinks the recipe is a secret since I'm always forgetting to email it when they ask. So, here it is for the whole world. Enjoy!

Crunchy Asian Cole Slaw

• 1 lb. shredded cabbage or a bag coleslaw mix
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 c. toasted almonds
  
• 1/3 c. sunflower seeds
• 1 pkg. Top Ramen noodles (Oriental flavor), crunch into sm. pieces
  
• 1/4 c. sesame oil 
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp. rice vinegar (do not substitute)
• Top Ramen season packet
• 3 tbsp. sugar

Place sunflower seeds and almond slivers in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until a light golden brown. Be careful not to over toast.

In a small bowl whisk together the oils, rice vinegar, seasoning packet and sugar. 

In a large bowl, combine cabbage and green onions. Add crushed ramen noodles, sunflower seed, and almonds and toss with dressing.

Serve immediately.  

Note:
Top Ramen brand ramen noodles are vegan, Manuchan brand have beef flavoring are NOT vegetarian. If you don't care, I know people that use Chicken flavor and it tastes yummy too.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

These are not the Brussels Sprouts you were made to eat as a kid, sitting in your chair until it was time for bed because you refused to eat them... Now, these are also certainly not the steamed veggies your nutritionist recommends but they aren't all bad at about 120 calories and 4g of fat per serving. Added bonus, every time I cook bacon my fire alarm gets tested. Safety first in the kitchen, I say! This is also a pretty dish since the sprouts turn a lovely brilliant green that glistens in the bacon... mmm... bacon! Oh, and please don't judge my dirty stove top, I just cooked bacon... mmm... bacon!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

• 2 lbs. Brussels Sprouts
• 4 slices bacon
• 1/3 c. chopped onion
• 1 cup chicken broth
• black pepper

Remove the stem part of the Brussels sprouts, rinse in cold water and drain. In a large frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel. Drain the bacon grease from the pan, but don't wipe out the pan, you'll want some fat to fry the onions. Add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes, then add chicken broth and Brussels Sprouts and season with black pepper. Cover and simmer on low to medium heat for about 10 minutes until sprouts are tender. If there is any remaining broth, remove from pan with slotted spoon. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.