Posts filed under ‘Veggies w/ Protein’
Tatties and Neeps, Anyone?
Have you ever noticed how trying a recipe for the first time is strikingly similar to going on a blind date? You might be a little nervous beforehand, worried about prepping just right so everything goes smoothly. Let’s not lie to ourselves: looks are important too so hopefully this new interest will be easy on the eyes. Then there’s always the big question mark about will you like it even enough to tolerate one meal together or will you just have to get up after a few bites and find something else. Maybe this one will be too exotic for your long-term tastes but it could be fun to live in the moment…a fling of sorts. But, as we all no doubt secretly hope, there’s always the chance this one will be the one and stick with you through thick and thin for the rest of your life, come lumpy gravy or runny fudge.
I admit I’m being a bit snarky in writing the above, but there’s also a note of seriousness in it since I do often take up a new recipe with the same nervous energy as I would for a date. When I saw this particular recipe in Eat Feed Autumn Winter, I was a little concerned because it would use up the last of my turnips for the season – a gorgeous bunch of baby white Hakureis that are so tender and sweet I even ate a few out of hand (which is saying a lot if you remember my semi-aversion to turnips).
I was also a bit bashful about trying a recipe called “tatties and neeps”. Funny how a name can put you off a little sometimes, and this Scottish designation for what we’ll just call Potatoes and Turnips with Bacon and Cream was not so appealing (though perhaps more colorful) to me for some unexplained reason. When I read the list of ingredients though, I knew I needed to overcome my unfounded prejudice because starchy potatoes, silky cream and salty bacon (soy in my case) could not, no matter what their title, be a bad combo. The fact that the turnips were in there just added to the interest and made me feel less guilty somehow about consuming the other three in large quantity.
Guess what? This recipe is a keeper! We’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the spring when turnips come back into season. If I had the supply in the root cellar right now, we probably would have been meeting over the dinner table at least five more times this past week. Ah, be still my bonny heart!
Baked Eggs for Brunch
Brunch is by far my favorite time to sit down at the table. It always feels so much like a luxury and like you’re somehow sneaking around the conventional dusty rules of three meals a day by combining two of them. Plus, I do love to sleep in when time affords, and brunch is usually the result of a long lazy stretch in bed that morning.
I also like how brunch bends the rules by putting sweet pastries, warmly spiced French toast, savory quiches, and even heartier fare like meaty sandwiches all on one table. There’s this place near me, Valley Green Inn, which serves an amazing (and generous) basket of homemade mini muffins, breads, and pastries to every table at brunch. It makes my heart sing. Somehow the sight of a slice of pumpkin bread nestled beside a blueberry muffin snuggled up with a hunk of sourdough truly tickles my fancy.
This recipe for Baked Eggs with Creamy Leeks is a quintessential brunch dish. It’s rich to the point of being just a little bit self-indulgent (just like sleeping in) and best eaten when you’ve got time to linger as the flavors demand being savored. The onion hints of the leeks and their bright color offset the eggs as only leeks can. The eggs, by the way, were some of those wonderful country brown eggs from chickens running around out in a pasture. It’s always amazing to me (although it probably shouldn’t be) that you can taste the difference between a caged-up hen’s white eggs and a free range hen’s brown eggs – you really can!
Bam!
I’m really not a fan of Emeril Lagasse and his “bam!” tactics on the Food Network. Generally I’ve found him to be a bit too much of a showman and not enough of a food professional. But I may just have to eat my own words after this recipe, one of his from his show Emeril Live.
I wasn’t planning on using an Emeril recipe. However, I had the notion of stuffing some pasta shells with eggplant and, as usual, when I come up with a concept I’m not quite sure about, I goggled the idea. Up popped this recipe, which wasn’t all that exciting until I started reading the ingredients for the sauce. Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce is phenomenal, folks. Can I get a “Bam!” up in here? And the Eggplant Stuffed Shells were pretty darn good too.
Now, I have to be honest about one thing with you. This recipe has a long list of ingredients and is pretty time consuming. But it’s so worth it! Or, just make the sauce and pour it over any ol’ pasta for a heavenly shortcut. It’s really the sauce that makes this dish spectacular. Unfortunately tomato season is fast dwindling so this should go right to the top of your bookmarks!
One Last Idea
Life here has not exactly been “peachy” this past week. A little run-in with a deer tick left me flat on my back, shivering and sweating buckets at the same time, for several days. I’m on the mend now and am on a new crusade to raise awareness about Lyme Disease. Seeing as how this is a food blog, I’ll spare you all the gross images and descriptions and just summarize: if you live in an area that’s known to have Lyme Disease and you start getting a very high fever with tremendous joint and muscle pain, get thee to a doctor immediately!! Do not, like your truly, keep putting it off until you literally can’t move. That’s very dangerous! According to my doctor, he’s never seen so many cases as he has already this year so those nasty ticks are on the move!
Not-so-fun health topics aside, I thought I’d throw this stir-fry recipe at you as one last idea for what to do with your edible chrysanthemum, should you still be finding it at the farmer’s market. Obviously, you can mix and match the vegetables according to what you have on hand. I know the recipe and combination is not overly creative, but the creative juices haven’t been flowing much lately. I personally enjoyed the “bite” or acidity the mum leaves added to the stir-fry. However, I’ll warn you that D did not like it. So it’s probably wise to taste test as you add the leaves, starting with just a small handful. They cook so quickly, you can adjust to individual tastes quite easily.
The Mac Daddy
This past weekend I had the distinct pleasure of cooking all the food for my dear friend Christine’s 30th birthday bash. It was a “distinct pleasure” because it was the best of both worlds for me. I love cooking for parties. I love it so much that I’d probably throw a party every weekend if it weren’t for one little eensy problem…
I hate cleaning. Man, do I hate cleaning the house! And I especially hate the stress of trying to get the kitchen cleaned up before the guests start arriving. I’m not the type of cook that cleans as she goes.
With this particular party being held several miles away, I was free to cook right up to the last minute and then gleefully leave the kitchen in shambles as I strolled out the door in my blue toile party dress. I had five dishes on the menu, some tried-and-true and some a little more risky. All, if I am to believe the feedback, were very much a hit. When planning a party menu though, I always like to have a fail safe; a dish that’s virtually guaranteed to appease the masses and fill their bellies before the alcohol soaks in beyond repair.
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