Tomorrow I am going to do something really exciting. I am going to make Lemon and Fava Bean Risotto with fresh beans from my garden.
This is my first year growing fava beans and they are really a wonder. I planted them in April and by May they had the most beautiful white flowers with a deep purple center. Now it's June and they're already yielding gigantic green pods.
If you've never cooked fava beans before they can be a little tricky. They have two pods: a large green shell that looks like a big pea pod, and a white membrane that covers each individual bean. I remove the beans from the outer shell and cook them in boiling water with the membrane still attached. They don't need to cook for long, just 4 minutes or so. Once they're cooked they easily pop out of the membrane.
This batch of risotto will be even more special than usual because the lemon will be one hand-delivered to me by my aunt and uncle, who are visiting this week from the Bay Area. They have a lemon tree in their back yard and bring us a bag of fresh lemons every year.
The rest of the year, when I can't get fava beans, I used frozen baby lima beans in this recipe. If I can still get fresh asparagus at the farmers' market I often include that as well. Add the asparagus (washed, woody stem ends removed and each piece broken into two or three pieces) when the rice is almost cooked. It will lightly steam in the rice while it finishes cooking.
As if fava beans weren't wonderful enough on their own, they also fix nitrogen in the soil, so I know that even once they're gone they're still doing good things for my raised beds.
Lemon and Fava Bean Risotto
5 c. vegetable stock
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 c. Arborio rice
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 t. grated lemon zest
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 c. parmesan cheese plus more for serving if desired
1/2 pound cooked fava beans (about one pound of beans still in pods)
Salt and pepper to taste
Put vegetable stock in a large pan. Heat until simmering and keep warm.
Put butter and oil in a large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until butter has melted. Add shallot and cook 1-2 minutes. Add rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. (Each rice grain must be coated in oil before you add any liquid.) Add white wine and cook, stirring, until almost all the wine is absorbed. Add 1/4 c. vegetable stock and cook, stirring, until stock is almost absorbed. Keep adding stock 1/4 c. at a time and stirring until rice is tender but not mushy. You may not use all the stock.
Remove the pan from heat and add lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine. Add beans and salt and pepper and stir gently. Serve immediately.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Farmers’ Market Feast
Farmers’ markets are one of the hallmarks of spring. The market is a great place to get vegetables and fruits at the peak of freshness. It’s a great way to support the local economy. I love talking to vendors about their products, proudly displayed on tables and in baskets, and asking their advice on how to cook different things. You’ll find salad greens, new potatoes, radishes, turnips, carrots and many other vegetables in abundance this time of year.
Even if you’re not a cook the market may have something for you. Most markets have vendors selling plants, prepared food, fresh bread, jams and jellies, soap or artwork. Farmers’ markets are more than a shopping trip – they’re a great social experience. You can combine meeting up with friends, eating lunch and doing some of your grocery shopping in one trip.
Farmers’ markets are making a resurgence across the country. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 1998 there were 2,746 farmers’ markets in the country. By 2008 the number was 4,685. People seem drawn to local food producers for many reasons: the desire to know where their food comes from, to buy from local businesses and preserve local farms, to eat food that is fresher and has more nutrients, to experience shopping in a different way.
After a long winter filled with storage onions and sprouting, browning garlic, it’s a relief to go to the market and see the piles of glistening spring onions and tiny white and purple bulbs of garlic. Of all the things I look forward to in the spring, they’re at the top of the list. Kidney Bean Stew is a great recipe for using both, as well as the hearty greens such as kale that are so prolific this time of year. I got a similar recipe from a dear friend and have modified it over the years. This is a very filling recipe that is appropriate for vegetarians or vegans.
Roasting vegetables has become my favorite way to cook them. The roasting process brings out the natural sugars in the vegetables and makes them sweeter. Like so many good recipes, this one came about my accident. I had a couple roasted vegetables left over from dinner one night. Rather than throw them away I tossed them in with the leftover salad. When I ate it the next day I was astounded at how well the cooked vegetables mixed with the raw greens. I like the cauliflower best, especially when it’s roasted and steamed to make it extra tender. Although the recipe has several steps, none of them are hard. Think of it as making stir-fry. You want to stir the vegetables often to make sure they don’t burn.
This salad is also terrific in the summer with roasted green beans and steamed peas. Try substituting your favorite veggies as well.
Kidney Bean Stew
1½ c. uncooked wild or brown rice
2 t. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ t. salt
1 small bunch kale, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 t. toasted sesame oil
Cook rice according to package directions. In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger and cook until onion starts of soften, 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, kidney beans and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add greens and cook until wilted, another 3-5 minutes. Add sesame oil and stir to combine, then remove stew from heat. Serve over cooked rice.
Roasted Vegetable Salad
2 T. finely minced onion, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
½ head cauliflower, florets separated
¼ pound sugar snap peas
2 t. olive oil, divided
¼ pound fresh salad greens
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
In a small saucepan with a lid, heat 1 t. olive oil over medium high heat. When pan is hot add half the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds. Add cauliflower and cook until it begins to brown, stirring often. When most pieces of cauliflower have dark brown spots, add ¼ cup water and cover with a lid. Steam cauliflower until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate or bowl and set aside.
Add additional 1 t. of oil to pan. Add remaining onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Add sugar snap peas and cook, stirring often, until peas are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add peas to cauliflower and set aside to cool.
Put salad greens in a large bowl. Add cooled cauliflower and peas and serve with dressing.
Even if you’re not a cook the market may have something for you. Most markets have vendors selling plants, prepared food, fresh bread, jams and jellies, soap or artwork. Farmers’ markets are more than a shopping trip – they’re a great social experience. You can combine meeting up with friends, eating lunch and doing some of your grocery shopping in one trip.
Farmers’ markets are making a resurgence across the country. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 1998 there were 2,746 farmers’ markets in the country. By 2008 the number was 4,685. People seem drawn to local food producers for many reasons: the desire to know where their food comes from, to buy from local businesses and preserve local farms, to eat food that is fresher and has more nutrients, to experience shopping in a different way.
After a long winter filled with storage onions and sprouting, browning garlic, it’s a relief to go to the market and see the piles of glistening spring onions and tiny white and purple bulbs of garlic. Of all the things I look forward to in the spring, they’re at the top of the list. Kidney Bean Stew is a great recipe for using both, as well as the hearty greens such as kale that are so prolific this time of year. I got a similar recipe from a dear friend and have modified it over the years. This is a very filling recipe that is appropriate for vegetarians or vegans.
Roasting vegetables has become my favorite way to cook them. The roasting process brings out the natural sugars in the vegetables and makes them sweeter. Like so many good recipes, this one came about my accident. I had a couple roasted vegetables left over from dinner one night. Rather than throw them away I tossed them in with the leftover salad. When I ate it the next day I was astounded at how well the cooked vegetables mixed with the raw greens. I like the cauliflower best, especially when it’s roasted and steamed to make it extra tender. Although the recipe has several steps, none of them are hard. Think of it as making stir-fry. You want to stir the vegetables often to make sure they don’t burn.
This salad is also terrific in the summer with roasted green beans and steamed peas. Try substituting your favorite veggies as well.
Kidney Bean Stew
1½ c. uncooked wild or brown rice
2 t. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ t. salt
1 small bunch kale, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 t. toasted sesame oil
Cook rice according to package directions. In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger and cook until onion starts of soften, 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, kidney beans and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add greens and cook until wilted, another 3-5 minutes. Add sesame oil and stir to combine, then remove stew from heat. Serve over cooked rice.
Roasted Vegetable Salad
2 T. finely minced onion, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
½ head cauliflower, florets separated
¼ pound sugar snap peas
2 t. olive oil, divided
¼ pound fresh salad greens
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
In a small saucepan with a lid, heat 1 t. olive oil over medium high heat. When pan is hot add half the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds. Add cauliflower and cook until it begins to brown, stirring often. When most pieces of cauliflower have dark brown spots, add ¼ cup water and cover with a lid. Steam cauliflower until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate or bowl and set aside.
Add additional 1 t. of oil to pan. Add remaining onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Add sugar snap peas and cook, stirring often, until peas are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add peas to cauliflower and set aside to cool.
Put salad greens in a large bowl. Add cooled cauliflower and peas and serve with dressing.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Welcome One and All!
Welcome to Everyday Stories About Food. Whether you are a lover of food, a grudging home cook or somewhere in between, there will be something for everyone in this space. Thanks for joining me.
I love food. Perhaps the only thing I enjoy more than eating food is talking about food. I’m an amateur home cook with a passion for all things culinary. I spent one summer as the cook at a summer camp, but other than that my culinary experience is limited to cooking for my friends, family, co-workers and the occasional bake sale. In other words, I have the same level of experience as most people.
As a child I learned the basics of cooking from my mother and grandmother. As I got older I discovered cooking magazines and began experimenting on my own. But I didn’t learn to love food until I was in mid-20’s and met a woman who was a passionate foodie. She was an amazing cook and an equally amazing storyteller. She had a way of describing the process of cooking a dish that made you hang on to every word. The more she talked, and the more I ate, the more food morphed into something else. Eating was no longer something I did to sustain myself three times a day. It became an obsession, an art form that has given me endless hours of entertainment and enjoyment.
Our lives are full of stories. Stories are one of the things that give our lives richness and meaning. Food and cooking are no different. It’s for that reason that I want to tell you stories about food, its origins, and its preparation.
Although we don’t always think about it this way, very few things in our lives are more powerful than food. Along with water and shelter, it is one of the basic things we need to live. A taste or smell can bring back memories of places we’ve been or people we’ve loved. It is an essential part of our culture. It can comfort us in times of sorrow and help us celebrate life’s important milestones. The way we buy it can be a powerful political and economic statement.
This week I will share a couple of my recipes I remember fondly from my childhood. Beef Stroganoff was my favorite meal growing up. My mother made this for my birthday and every time I could convince her it was a good choice for dinner. Most stroganoff recipes are served with noodles but I think this one is delicious over brown rice. Substituting fat-free yogurt for the sour cream lowers the saturated fat in the recipe.
French Apple Crisp is the first recipe I developed on my own. It was a combination of my mother’s apple crisp recipe and a French apple pie recipe from a cookbook. My sisters love this dessert; they often request it when they come to visit.
When you make a favorite recipe this week, or shop at the Farmers’ Market, or share a good meal and a bottle of wine at a restaurant with friends, think about the story behind it. Savor it as much as your casserole, or your salad, or your pinot noir, or whatever you happen to be consuming. It will remind you of the joy that comes with eating good food. Hopefully that joy will stay with you the next time it’s your turn to do the dishes.
Beef Stroganoff
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 6-1/2 ounce can mushroom stems and pieces
½ t. pepper
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1-1/2 c. cooked brown rice
In a medium saucepan, cook onion, garlic and ground beef over medium heat until beef is brown. Drain grease and return mixture to pan.
Add soup, mushrooms, pepper and parsley. Fill the soup can halfway full with water and add to the mixture. Bring to a low boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer until thick, 10-15 minutes. Stir in sour cream or yogurt. Cook until heated through, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice.
French Apple Crisp
For Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
For Filling:
8 small apples, sliced (Granny Smith or other tart apple)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup oats
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
Vanilla ice cream, optional
In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Stir in butter to form a dough. Press ¾ of the dough into the bottom of a glass 8-inch square pan or pie pan. Reserve remaining mixture for topping.
Place sliced apples on top of crust. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon. In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats and nutmeg. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle oat mixture over apples. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture over oat mixture.
Microwave for 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
I love food. Perhaps the only thing I enjoy more than eating food is talking about food. I’m an amateur home cook with a passion for all things culinary. I spent one summer as the cook at a summer camp, but other than that my culinary experience is limited to cooking for my friends, family, co-workers and the occasional bake sale. In other words, I have the same level of experience as most people.
As a child I learned the basics of cooking from my mother and grandmother. As I got older I discovered cooking magazines and began experimenting on my own. But I didn’t learn to love food until I was in mid-20’s and met a woman who was a passionate foodie. She was an amazing cook and an equally amazing storyteller. She had a way of describing the process of cooking a dish that made you hang on to every word. The more she talked, and the more I ate, the more food morphed into something else. Eating was no longer something I did to sustain myself three times a day. It became an obsession, an art form that has given me endless hours of entertainment and enjoyment.
Our lives are full of stories. Stories are one of the things that give our lives richness and meaning. Food and cooking are no different. It’s for that reason that I want to tell you stories about food, its origins, and its preparation.
Although we don’t always think about it this way, very few things in our lives are more powerful than food. Along with water and shelter, it is one of the basic things we need to live. A taste or smell can bring back memories of places we’ve been or people we’ve loved. It is an essential part of our culture. It can comfort us in times of sorrow and help us celebrate life’s important milestones. The way we buy it can be a powerful political and economic statement.
This week I will share a couple of my recipes I remember fondly from my childhood. Beef Stroganoff was my favorite meal growing up. My mother made this for my birthday and every time I could convince her it was a good choice for dinner. Most stroganoff recipes are served with noodles but I think this one is delicious over brown rice. Substituting fat-free yogurt for the sour cream lowers the saturated fat in the recipe.
French Apple Crisp is the first recipe I developed on my own. It was a combination of my mother’s apple crisp recipe and a French apple pie recipe from a cookbook. My sisters love this dessert; they often request it when they come to visit.
When you make a favorite recipe this week, or shop at the Farmers’ Market, or share a good meal and a bottle of wine at a restaurant with friends, think about the story behind it. Savor it as much as your casserole, or your salad, or your pinot noir, or whatever you happen to be consuming. It will remind you of the joy that comes with eating good food. Hopefully that joy will stay with you the next time it’s your turn to do the dishes.
Beef Stroganoff
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 6-1/2 ounce can mushroom stems and pieces
½ t. pepper
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1-1/2 c. cooked brown rice
In a medium saucepan, cook onion, garlic and ground beef over medium heat until beef is brown. Drain grease and return mixture to pan.
Add soup, mushrooms, pepper and parsley. Fill the soup can halfway full with water and add to the mixture. Bring to a low boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer until thick, 10-15 minutes. Stir in sour cream or yogurt. Cook until heated through, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice.
French Apple Crisp
For Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
For Filling:
8 small apples, sliced (Granny Smith or other tart apple)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup oats
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
Vanilla ice cream, optional
In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Stir in butter to form a dough. Press ¾ of the dough into the bottom of a glass 8-inch square pan or pie pan. Reserve remaining mixture for topping.
Place sliced apples on top of crust. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon. In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats and nutmeg. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle oat mixture over apples. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture over oat mixture.
Microwave for 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
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