It’s been a crazy week here at Just Braise. In the midst of some freelance writing on deadline, I filled a friend’s shoes and helped cater a restaurant opening for 200 people. I have never catered an event before (other than my own parties of no more than 25 people) and thought this might be a good experience. Plus, I would get to work with some trained chefs.

Key words are “restaurant opening” with a restaurant (including kitchen) that was not workable until 5 PM the evening before the event. We had to set up and organize not only the kitchen, but the walk-in refrigerator, and dry storage all the night before the event. All prep and cooking for those 200 folks happened day of the event. It was a haphazard day, but we pulled through– with a few menu items nixed, a successful event none the less.

Due to a day a recuperation this post will remain short.

I made this salad the other week with the leftover wild salmon from the Gnocchi with Green Bean Pesto. I even had a little of that delicious pesto left and threw it on top as a dressing. In my mind, this salad is so similar to the Nicoise Salade made almost one month ago, but looks and tastes entirely different. Really, in comparison, these two salads are totally different. Perhaps it is the vivid colorings of both that make it seem so similar? Maybe it is because both use such brightly hued fish.

The salad is a brilliant reminder of a summer departed. At least in the Northeast, one can still find most of these ingredients locally (which equals extra tastiness).

Note: I mentioned previously that I often boil, blanch and prep items when I bring them home, even if I do not know what I will make with them. The work may take an hour or so, but the effort is worth it. With pre-prep I was able to throw this salad together in just minutes– proving you can have a delicious meal even when pressed for time.

While this salad is a great use of leftovers, you can easily make this salad without the green bean pesto. Just toss the salad with olive oil, salt and pepper or your favorite dressing. (My favorite homemade dressing has a base of dijon mustard, tahini and olive oil. Add to that roasted garlic, anchovies and fresh garlic, lemon juice, or anything else you can think of and it’s delicious).

Salmon Pesto Salad (Remember Summer Salad)
Serving Size= 2 people. Active time= 10 minutes.
2 salmon steaks (already prepared or a quick 2 minute sear each side w/ salt and pepper)
3-4 cups loosely packed arugula
1 red pepper
3-4 new potatoes (already boiled or slice into quarters and boil 10 min)
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
green bean pesto (see Gnocchi w/ Green Bean Pesto)

1) Boil potatoes if not already cooked. Sear salmon if not already cooked.
2) Char red pepper in a skillet set over high heat. Rotate to cook 3-4 sides until blackened, 2-3 minutes each side. Remove stem, core and seeds and chop.
3) Wash arugula and cherry tomatoes.
4) Arrange salad. Place arugula in serving bowl. Add tomatoes, red peppers, potatoes. Set salmon over and top with a scoop of green bean pesto (or favorite salad dressing), salt and pepper.
Optional: Top this salad with chopped walnuts or pecans or blue cheese.

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Here lies another gnocchi creation to contemplate the many forms of this versatile dumpling. Thinking about this dish, and seeing its image up there, makes me hungry for it all over again. But let’s get to the heart of the matter.

So D and I made gnocchi. I tricked him into whole wheat flour and he was none the wiser. I tricked him into milk instead of cream and he slurped it up regardless.

This dish was another in a long line where my sanity was questioned by D, yet was happily lapped up at the end of the night.

As you can see, the gnocchi has turned a slightly off gray-brown. I had no idea that whole wheat pasta, when exposed to air, would discolor. (Have others had this experience and how do you solve it?) The flavor is fine, I assure you, but it was no fun opening the refrigerator the morning after a gnocchi-licious meal only to find my whole wheat army awaiting the boiling pot cloaked in a sorrowful shade. How they rebelled for not being eaten!

No worries I thought. I’ll say I added a little octopus ink! So if anyone asks, just say there is octopus ink in the pasta. Brilliant. I was even going to add it to the recipe, but realized if anyone tried to make their octopus ink pasta and it didn’t work heads might roll. (I’ve never bought octopus ink but think it would be hard to get and expensive.)

So what would go nicely with my “octopus ink” pasta? Why another sea creature of course. Nothing like fish to bring out the fishy quality of octopus ink, right? And what better than the brilliant shade of salmon?

At the fish monger, D and I picked up a fabulous 2 pound fillet (there is more salmon dishes in the line up). As we walked home I thought of other ways to brighten up my sad gnocchi. And what goes with a salmon shade better than a brilliant spring green? We had green beans left in the fridge, but I thought tossing some green beans along with the salmon would be too boring. A pesto would be much more interesting. And voila, this dish was born.

This dish truly is as delicious as it looks. The hearty gnocchi make marvelous spoons for the thick, creamy pesto. Everything was offset perfectly by the sweet salmon. Even better, this meal (since gnocchi were leftover) took all of 8 minutes to throw together. There is nothing like brilliance (of color and flavor) at the blink of an eye.

Better still, you can make this pesto with frozen peas, shelled edamame, romano beans, white beans, etc. No gnocchi? Use fettucini (or almost any other pasta). Hate pasta? Spread some olive oil, salt and pepper on bread and toast it. Can’t stand salmon? Try mahimahi.

Whatever you do try this dish. Make it for friends. They will be wowed by the amazing flavors and you will be thankful it hardly took any time.

Gnocchi w/ Green Bean Pesto & Salt/ Pepper Salmon
Serving size= 4 persons. Prep time= 3 minutes. Cook time= 8 minutes.
2 pound fillet of wild Alaskan salmon (an eco-friendly choice!)
1/2 pound green beans, cleaned and picked over
2 tablespoons Parmesan
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup loosely packed basil
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt/ pepper to taste
1 pound gnocchi

1) Blanch green beans for 1 minute in boiling water. Place in blender with Parmesan, garlic, basil and olive oil. Puree, taste, salt and pepper to taste. (The pesto will be very thick and creamy, and will still have small bits of green bean. If you desire a smoother pesto, add more olive oil, 2 tablespoons plain yogurt or tahini to smooth it out.)
2) Boil water for gnocchi. Heat a skillet on medium-high for the salmon. Once gnocchi goes into the boiling water, salt and pepper salmon fillet and brush a thin layer of oil onto the skillet. Place salmon on hot skillet skin side up. Cook 2-3 minutes, flip, cook 2-3 minutes more, depending on desired doneness.
3) Drain gnocchi and place in serving bowls. Slice salmon into serving pieces, place over gnocchi. Add scoop of green bean pesto.

Barely fall and I’m already hitting the cream sauce? Not totally since I used milk instead of cream for this dish. I was also able to sneak in whole wheat flour for the gnocchi, instead of all-purpose white. Still, D proclaimed this dish to be exceptional, drinking up the leftover sauce on his plate. I guess gnocchi really is worth the effort.

The first time I made potato gnocchi was years ago. I was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a friend’s apartment. These were the days before the world had heard about Williamsburg, when it was far less gentrified, and you could still see true locals mingling with the new batch of students and artists moving in. As far as I can remember the closest grocery store was a 20 minute walk.

My friend lived off the beaten track, at the time. Now two sparkling luxury buildings are within a block of her old apartment and my friend has since moved to Chicago. She probably wouldn’t be able to afford rent these days.

I got off the L train and walked the 12 frozen, wintered blocks to her apartment building nestled just under the Williamsburg Bridge. Up in her apartment, the table was dusted with flour and potatoes were rapidly boiling away.

“What are you doing?!”

“Making gnocchi. Help.”

It was not a question. I was soon ricing potatoes and elbow deep in flour. Rolling thumb sized dough balls measured to her specification and redone if not identical to the last one. Thumb indented and fork pressed, we lined them on a baking sheet to ready them for the boiling water.

I cannot remember what we ate with them– or whether I ate them at all. All I can honestly remember is flour and potatoes everywhere. I feel like we made hundreds of little gnocchi. Was there a party? We climbed outside the kitchen window to hang out on the roof of the adjoining car repair shop and watched the trains come over the bridge despite the cold. As many City folk know, outside access is not to be taken lightly and will be utilized in all weather conditions.

I thought those to be the last of my gnocchi days. Until I told D about them…

We were contemplating what to do with all our potatoes. “Gnocchi?” I suggested hesitantly to D.

“What’s that?”
“They’re like… little potato pasta dumplings. But they’re sort of a pain, forget it.”
“NO! Those sound good, let’s make them!”
“We don’t have a ricer, forget it. Why don’t we make the mushroom sauce and just fry the potatoes instead.” [I was sure I could win him over with “fry.”]
“No, that doesn’t sound good.”
[That still sounds good to me] “Well, I suppose we could use the box grater…”
“Perfect! Let’s do it.”

So there I was. Boiling potatoes, elbow deep in flour once again. This time, with D as my assistant peeling and grating away. Rolling, dividing, rolling, forming, thumb, fork, rest. Who would have guessed that our one little bag would make so many gnocchi– we had enough for 3 days, lunch and dinner. (So more gnocchi to come.)

Gnocchi w/ 3 Mushroom Cream Sauce & Peas
Serving Size=4 as main; 8 for starter
For the Gnocchi
1 pound russet potatoes, boiled whole w/ skins on
1-1/2 cup flour (whole wheat or all purpose)
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons salt
For the Mushroom Cream Sauce w/ Peas
3-4 shiitake mushrooms
3-4 oyster mushrooms
1 large or 2 small/ medium sized portabella mushrooms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups heavy cream (or whole milk)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 pound beans, Romano, Green or Sugar Snap

1) Make the gnocchi: Boil potatoes whole w/ skin on, do not pierce. You do not want the potatoes to absorb water. Once done, using a towel to hold potatoes and pop them out of their skin. Grate them with the large-toothed box grater or ricer. Spread the shavings on a cookie sheet to keep them from sticking together.
2) Make a mound of the potato shavings and place the flour at the center of the mound. Make a moat and crack the egg inside. Roll dough together, incorporating all the potato and flour together. Add more flour if needed. Dough is finished when it no longer sticks to your fingers.
3) Divide dough into four sections. Roll until about 1 inch thick and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Indent one side with your thumb and the other side with a fork. This will help hold the sauce and cook them more evenly. Assemble on a cookie sheet to keep them from touching.
4) Make the sauce. Clean and slice mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat the butter in a large skillet until the bubbles subside. Add mushrooms and saute, 4-5 minutes, until they reduce. Add white wine and cook until reduces slightly and the alcohol burns off, 2-3 minutes. If using milk, add peas at this point, heating until almost finished and darker green. Add milk and slowly heat until warm. If using cream, add cream and peas at the same time and cook until peas are dark green and done, 2-3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of parsley, reserving the rest to sprinkle on top. Keep warm while you finish the gnocchi
5) Finish gnocchi. Place gnocchi in rapidly boiling water. Gnocchi will float to the surface once cooked.
6) To serve, top gnocchi with sauce and sprinkle parsley.

We have been eating a lot of salads this summer. Mostly because it is an easy solution to our weekly vegetable drop, but really because it gets us in and out of the kitchen in record time. And as long as I can cover vegetables in a blanket of protein, D is happy.

My favorite protein in salad is fish. Salmon, tuna, monkfish, you name it, I can probably find a salad solution for it. Because of this, it is difficult for me to walk past the fish monger without stopping in. He must know this, and places all the calamari, clams and shrimp in the front window for me to spy on. Inside is the real gold mine. Wild salmon, lobster tanks, oysters, crabs, pompano, and the catch of the day line the shelves. I can walk up to each fish, sniff, eye and poke at it, then declare it mine.

Tuna is what catches my eye more often than not. It might be its arresting pink hue. It might be that I tease the fish monger about sushi grade tuna just to hear him laugh and say, “You kiddin’? You can’t get any fresher than this!” So I bring it home time and again, wrapped in paper and await mealtime.

This past week, how lucky we were to receive the proper fixings for a classic Salade Nicoise. It is one of my favorites because it is a hearty and playful salad where almost anything goes once you have the basics. D loves it because he can correct my French accent while I practice my pronunciation.

But I think the true love in this salad is the color display. How can you pass up something that looks this fresh?! I say go out and buy that tuna steak now. You will not be disappointed.

The biggest risk you have when cooking tuna steak is drying it out by overcooking. Tuna needs a scant 30-60 seconds per side over hot heat. Remember, this limited cook time leaves the center of the cut rare. As always, when dealing with any sort of protein, buy the freshest cut possible.

To cut down on prep time I slice and boil my vegetables when I bring them home, storing them in the fridge for quick prep or an easy snack. It makes assembling a salad like this a real breeze. It may be some work day 1, but there is nothing like being able to reach into the fridge and have everything done and ready to go. Here are a few tips, some used in this salad. All of these should be stored in sealed, air tight containers.

- Quarter potatoes, boil until soft. Storage time: about 1 week. Pancakes, salads, home fries.
- Trim and blanch green beans, 2 minutes. Storage time: about 3 days. Dip, salads, snack.
- Char red peppers in skillet. Storage time: about 5 days. Sandwiches, omelette, dips.
- Trim and boil beets until soft. Store in reserved liquid, 1 week. Sandwiches, salads.
- Peels and cut carrots. Store in water (change every 2 days), 2 weeks. Snack, soup, salads.
- Wash and cut celery. Store in water (change every 2 days), 2 weeks. Snack, soup, salads.
- Cut corn from cob, saute with butter 2 minutes. Storage time: about 1 week. Salad, soup, omelette.
- Boil and peel eggs. Storage time: about 5 days. Use in sandwiches, salads.

But let’s get back to the salad and this “fusion” I mention. I marinated the tuna steaks in a soy sauce-ginger-lime mixture, coated them with sesame and seared them. This presented a fabulous citrus snap to the salad. I tied the sesame theme into a tahini-based salad dressing (tahini is sesame seed paste). Together the tastes blended smoothly into the whole and create a fabulous play on a traditional salad.

Salade Nicoise
Serving size= 2. Cook time= 3 minutes. Prep time= 15 minutes.
For the Marinade:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lime plus zest
1 glove garlic, crushed
1- 1 inch piece ginger, minced
1/2 cup sesame seeds, set aside on a flat plate

For the Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red cider vinegar
3 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
salt/ pepper to taste

For the Salad:
3-4 new potatoes, quartered and boiled until soft
1 tomato, sliced in 8 wedges
2 soft boiled eggs
small handful green beans, blanched
1 small head red lettuce (optional)
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon capers
1- 1 lb fresh tuna steak

1) Prepare the marinade. Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, zest, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Set tuna in mixture and marinade while continuing. Set the sesame seeds on a plate, aside.
2) Prepare the dressing. In a small skillet, heat the garlic with the anchovy fillet. No oil is needed as the fish has enough. Heat until garlic turns translucent and anchovies break down. Once ready, place in a bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside. Turn tuna steak over in marinade.
3) Wash and prep the vegetables for the salad and assemble.
4) Begin warming a skillet with about 1 tablespoon peanut oil on medium high heat. Remove tuna from marinade and pat dry slightly. Place on plate with sesame seeds and push down slightly so sesame seeds adhere to steak. Flip and press again. Place in pan once hot, cook 30-45 seconds, flip and cook for 30-45 more seconds. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Assemble over salad.

Note: This recipe makes extra dressing. Refrigerate and use it at a later date. It will keep about 1 week. Just bring to room temperature and mix well before use.

It’s more like falafel is making me crazy! But how can you resist the freshness of flavors in Middle Eastern cuisine?

I came to love and loathe Middle Eastern foods in high school when I took a three week tour of Israel with my youth group. There were many days eating on Kibbutz with comments like, “are you kidding?! Cucumber, tomatoes and hummus again?!” But despite all the hummus consumed on that trip, I still cannot forget the hummus I had at the main marketplace in Jerusalem. Sweet, nutty and full of paprika, to this day I search to perfect my own recipe to match this memory.

I found falafel as an undergrad. It was fast food that didn’t seem so unhealthy and best of all, it was cheap. I could often be found between classes grabbing a falafel, standing just outside the small storefront nibbling away with tahini coating my lips and dripping on the sidewalk down below. I took friends visiting from out of town to the little shop and I even took D on our first date for a late night snack. But I have never tried making it myself.

Walking through the grocery I often spot and am tempted to pick up a box of falafel mix. As much as I love falafel, I cannot get myself to purchase the boxed mix. Yes, there are chickpeas in there, but get down the list and sure enough those hard-to-pronounce unknowns appear. I can’t make myself believe that off in the Middle East, or even my Lebanese or Egyptian friends here in the U.S., folks are whipping up boxed falafel. Where do these boxes come from?

To my surprise and horror, my own cookbooks I checked for reference suggested using boxed falafel mix. Wait, really? A cookbook calls for a box?! Truth be told, I don’t own a Middle Eastern cookbook (since I usually just reference friends and their parents for recipes). I took to the internet and researched away. Recipes I found seemed fairly close to hummus recipes before frying. I had some hummus a few days old in the fridge so I figured this would make good falafel– dry enough to form balls and fry. I also thought that my desire to use hummus, no longer desirable for snacking, would make sense historically. (Instead of throwing away old hummus, why not deep fry it?)

So I chopped some parsley, folded it into the hummus, formed golf ball sized nuggets and D threw them into a pan of hot oil. They fell apart. When I say fall apart I don’t mean the little balls broke apart and were still okay to eat. I mean the balls fell apart, totally crumbling into nothingness. D had to fish them out with a sieve the added comment, “Wow, we haven’t failed like this in a while.”

And when he says that he really means a long time. I cannot recall a time we made something so horribly inedible we had to throw it away. Sure, maybe it didn’t look (or fully taste) great, but one of us (me) usually not wanting to waste food, would suffer through eating it. What we had here was fried powder that was impossible to eat and had to enter the garbage.

We both took to the internet to find recipes and compare our separate results. The one major difference in falafel to hummus is that no liquids are added. When D and I make hummus we often add olive oil and yogurt to create a creamy result (that keeps smooth for days). The more falafel recipes we found, the greater the number that excluded these ingredients, as well as tahini. This kept the batter as dry as possible. (Which is why I thought our 3 day old hummus (with no yogurt), nice and dry, would work perfectly.)

We combined our favorite recipes and went in for Round Two. We stuck one in to test. Same result. The pictures on the internet lied. These little nuggets also fell apart as well. No golden balls of falafel came to our plates.

Back on the internet D began typing in “Falafel falls apart.” To his surprise, he didn’t even get to the first “l” of “falls” when Google auto-filled his results and he found multiple comments from ornery eaters attempting to make falafel.

Who knew these little buggers could be so difficult?

We did find the most common suggestions for falafel that falls apart is 1) Refrigerate for a few hours (we were hungry now) or 2) Add flour.

Back to our falafel balls, minus one brave comrade, I threw them back into the bowl and added almost 1/4 cup flour. Mixed it up, formed balls, flattened slightly (so oil would cover them completely) and coated the discs lightly with a more flour. I quickly told D it was not too late. We could just eat this dry hummus-like batter on our Barbari bread and it would be just fine. We threw a tester in again. Finally!

We topped stuffed the falafel into our Barbari bread (a flat bread originally from Iran that is an arms length long. Once a portion is torn off, it can easily be stuffed), added a yogurt and herb dressing, fresh tomatoes and topped it with some lip smacking sticky tahini. The best part of this falafel is that they remain crispy on the outside, but are soft and creamy inside.

Falafel
Prep time (getting it right the first time)= 12 minutes. Cook time= 4 minutes.
1- 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), washed and drained
1/4 cup loosely chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons red onion
1/4 cup flour (set aside 2 tablespoons in a small bowl for coating finished falafel balls)
salt/ pepper to taste
vegetable oil

1) Begin heating vegetable oil on high heat in a deep sauce pan (oil should come about 1 inch up the side of the pan).
2) Place remaining ingredients (minus 2 tablespoons of flour) into a food processor or blender. Process until fairly even consistency is reached, leaving some larger chickpea chunks, if desired.
3) Form golf ball sized balls of batter and flatten slightly. Coat lightly in remaining flour.
4) Add falafel discs to oil when hot and fry about 4 minutes, until golden on all sides. Serve warm served wrapped in pita or other flat bread.

And the yogurt-herb sauce we topped it with (along with tahini and tomatoes):
3 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
pinch of salt
Mix until combined.

As summer pushes into full force, we all know how important it is to stay out of the kitchen. That, or simply keeping the stove off as long as possible is key. With these beautiful days (finally it’s not deathly humid) nobody wants to spend more time than is needed wrapped in an apron, laboring over dishes. With that in mind, in the coming weeks Just Braise will highlight easy, quick cooking recipes.

These past weeks have offered up an abundance of zucchini from my CSA. It is so much that I am almost running out of unique ideas. So much zucchini, let me count the ways I used them: there was grilled zucchini, broiled zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini in salad, zucchini and eggs, pickled zucchini, visions of zucchini soup, and the above, zucchini “burgers.”

I have made similar zucchini pancakes before. It was a great way to get D to eat this vegetable he claims to not like (so far though, the bread, full of nuts and chocolate chips, was the best trick). This time, I bulked the zucchini pancakes up to make them more burger style. Topped with a basic raita (yogurt based sauce) this burger proved refreshing served warm or cold.

What I love most about this recipe is that it can be used in a variety of ways. A frittata was easy with most of the work done– just break apart the burgers over a pan, add eggs, cook and done. Ditto with veggie tacos (on a shell with salsa), a side (or base) for hummus, or a topping in salad.

Veggie Patties
Prep time= 15 minutes. Cook time= 8 minutes.
1- 15oz can black beans (or chickpeas)
2-3 zucchini, 7-9 inches long
1 carrot (also 7-9 inches long)
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil

1) Wash and drain the black beans and place in a medium sized bowl. Using a potato masher, crush the beans until they form a paste.
2) Lay out 2 paper towels. Shred zucchini and carrot and place on paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels, pressing down to drain off water from veggies. If you find there is still a lot of moisture to them, repeat process. When they no longer release moisture, add to bowl with black beans, along with garlic, tahini, bread crumbs and egg.
3) Use a hand to incorporate all ingredients evenly, squeezing the batter to check stickiness. Add another egg if you find it is too dry, more breadcrumbs if too wet.
4) Warm a saute pan on medium high heat with olive oil in the pan. Once warm, create patties with hands of the vegetable mixture and place on pan. Cook about 5 minutes, until brown, flip, then about 5 minutes more, until brown on other side. Serve warm on burger buns, bread, cold, or as suggested above.
NOTE: The above photo is bread with olive paste, avocado slices, a veggie burger, arugula and topped with a homemade raita. This raita was a 1 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup diced cucumber (chopped parsley or mint optional).

For the Chinese New Year of the Pig I’ll be finishing out my pork dishes.

This luxurious soup was made from that citrus-sweet pork shoulder way back when. (This blog is not exactly in Real Time– although I suppose it is possible I froze the bone).

The weather this past week has been frigid. Growing up in the Chicagoland area, I can handle the cold (my school was once canceled because it was too cold to go outside, i.e. frostbite in under 1 second). When I first moved to New York City almost 10 years ago I used to (for brief stints outside) wear t-shirts in 30 degree weather. People thought I was crazy, I proclaimed it was the Chicagoan in me keeping me warm. But when winds blast exposed skin so it feels as though it is peeling right off your face… Well, that makes we want to crawl into a small room with a blazing fire and never leave.

When it is this cold outside and you can feel the cold shoot from the pavement through your shoes and freeze your bones, hot meals are all the more soothing. There is little better than the natural heating power of a steaming bowl of soup to keep you toasty (okay, maybe a steaming mug of hot cocoa or tea). This a the perfect soup for the blah weather. It is silky rich and deliciously filling with a little croute on top or crispy bread on the side.

My freezer is full of frozen individual portion sizes of soups. Once frozen and mixed up, they often turn into a game of surprise lunches that D and I will regale in after work: “Ooooh, I had that swiss chard soup from this summer– even better warm!” or “I thought it was the ginger carrot, but once hot I realized it was the winter squash.” The supply sometimes seems endless and the addition of this split pea is a welcomed one. How else do you think D and I have had nary a sneeze these past two winters (forgetting the recent bout of food poisoning that just reinforces the benefits of home eating).

I remember my mother used to make split pea for us in the winter. Just before serving she would float hot dog slices into the soup (how very Chicago of her). As kids, we loved it and I distinctly remember plucking each hot dog piece out with my fingers and shoving my whole fist happily into my mouth, licking it clean in the process.

These days, I don’t need that extra salty kick of a hot dog to eat this soup (I prefer the kick of a little bacon). Once the split peas soften into the broth, this soup is deceivingly thick. If I didn’t make it myself I would swear there was gallons of cream laced into this creation. In fact, the only cream is the (optional) tablespoon I floated on top before serving.

This is the kind of soup that can melt you out of the warm house, allowing you to brave the nasty elements outside. It is filling on its own, paired with a light salad or a good sandwich.

SPLIT PEA SOUP
Serving Size= 8-10. Active time= about 20 minutes. Inactive time= about 2 hours.
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* ½ pound bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces (optional and used instead of butter and olive oil)
* 1 large sweet onion, chopped
* 2 stalks celery plus leaves, chopped about 3 inches long
* 2 carrots, chopped about 3 inches long
* pork bone, the shoulder works well
* 10-12 cups water
* 2- 12 ounce bags green split peas, washed and brown ones discarded
* ½ cup loosely chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
* 2-½ teaspoons cumin
* salt/ pepper to taste

1) Warm a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon set aside. Keep about 2 tablespoons of fat in the stock pot, discard the remaining, soaking it up with a paper towel. (If not using bacon, warm the butter and olive oil and continue).
2) Add onion and sauté until translucent; about 5 minutes.
5) Add celery, carrots and pork bone, sauté about 5 minutes. Add water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and uncover slightly.
6) Let simmer until pork bone begins to break down and smell infiltrates the air, about 1-½ hours. Add split peas, parsley, cumin and pepper. Follow directions for cooking length on back of package, usually the peas need about 30 minutes to cook.
7) Peas will have absorbed most liquid. Add salt to taste. Remove bone and cut any remaining pork into bite-sized pieces, add to soup. Additionally, if any pork remains uneaten from shoulder, about 2 cups of bite-sized pieces can be added to the pot. Add bacon, stir until evenly combined.
9) Serve plain or with croutes and a little heavy cream and/or parsley flakes drizzled over top.

I notice there are far too many sweets on display on this site. It appears we eat nothing but that sweet angel dust. In the next few days I’ll be adding all the delicious porky creations made from the one 6 pound shoulder discussed below.

A few that went without photos:

The first post-roast creation was a delicious sandwich that had no chance at a photograph. Served on hearty Jewish rye bread (any offended excuse the sac-religious combination), Korean pears ( mentioned here ) and a generous smothering of honey mustard. A few minutes in the toaster oven set this to a perfect sweet-crisp combination.

Another hog-a-licious idea was to be pulled pork sandwiches smothered in a hickory BBQ sauce. Instead, we mixed the pork with avocado, lime juice and tomatoes and wrapped them in the tortillas that remained after the pork tacos pictured above. Similar to the tacos, yet a totally new flavor combination and equally delicious.

The pork tacos appearing above are served with a healthy scoop of a black bean mango salsa and a dusting of cilantro. They compete with the chorizo taco from my favorite taco truck down the street.

It goes to show you can eat well on a budget and create a symphony of tastes with the result. There are plenty of dishes that were not created that would be just as delicious: pork fried rice, rice and beans, breakfast hash, hammy macaroni, a number of soups (a rich split pea to come), empanadas, pork dumplings or piradzini (Latvian pork puffs, also to come).

A $20 pork shoulder can take two people far.

This black bean mango salsa is a great summertime side. It is great with the addition of corn and can be used for a number of taco combinations, my favorite being a grilled shrimp.

BLACK BEAN MANGO SALSA
Prep time= about 10 minutes.
* 1 ripe fresh mango, cut into ¼-inch cubes
* juice of 1 lime
* ¼ red onion, cut into ¼-inch cubes
* 1 can low-sodium black beans, washed and drained
* 1 ear of fresh corn, sliced from stalk (optional)
* 8 grape tomatoes, deseeded and cut in quarters (optional)
* ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped loosely (optional)

1) Slice the mango and put it into a medium-sized bowl. The meat surrounding the pit can be squeezed into the bowl. Add lime juice, chopped onion, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. Stir and serve.

As the nights begin to cool and we turn the first corner into the fall season, it is best to take advantage of the freshness still available. Late season produce are some of my favorites; full of the warm juices of summer. They include certain berries, corn, peaches, beets and nectarines (amongst others). Keep to the seasons and you are guaranteed some of the best tasting produce.

When I started going hog wild for the peaches at my local fruit stand, D and I were overwhelmed (but they smell so good!)—there are only so many that can be sliced and frozen for mid-winter smoothie binges! Pretty soon, every time I made a dish, I just tossed a few peaches onto the mix. D thought me crazed at first, tainting his otherwise prized pork and sandwiches, but pretty soon, the boy caught on.

One morning as we were rushing out the door I pulled out anything and everything fresh from the fridge. It ended with a very colorful salad that appeared to taste as good as it looked. A few hours later I received emails from D that his officemates wouldn’t allow him to get a bite in—they were all admiring the colors! While we ate separately, we came together later commenting on the perfect harmony that the salad offered. No longer questioning my peach plundering, D and I made this salad again and again—a fast and fresh summer pick-me-up that can be altered in many ways, remaining a delicious feast for belly and eyes.

The colors on this salad are stunning— an ideal side for a summer picnic or BBQ. So go ahead and stock up on peaches. Put a few aside for the winter, and indulge in this salad while peaches are at their best.

RAINBOW SALAD w/ BASIL VINAIGRETTE
Serving Size= 2 persons. Active time= 10 minutes.
* 2 ripe peaches, each sliced into 8 wedges
* 4 radish, sliced
* 1 avocado, cubed
* 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
* 1 small cucumber, cubed
* 1 small handful green beans, blanched and halved
* 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil
* ¼ cup Tarragon vinegar
* juice of 1 lime
* salt/ pepper to taste

1) In a medium bowl, gently toss cut fruit and vegetables: peach, radish, avocado, bell pepper and beans.
2) In a food processor or blender, combine basil, vinegar and lime juice. Blend until basil is finely chopped and well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over salad.
NOTE: Other tasty additions to this salad include celery, mango (in lieu of peach), corn, new potatoes, or anything else you enjoy.

My first personal (known) encounter with Swiss chard was the other year. While I am sure I have dined on it in restaurants, I had never sought to purchase the funky colored vegetable before. While at the grocery, the vegetable caught my eye and I scooped it into my basket. As D often does when he notices I am plucking items for their unique beauty rather than possible utility he queried what we could make with it. “I don’t know, but we’ll think of something.”

We turned “something” into Braised Swiss Chard wrapped in Sole. Swiss chard’s bitter sweetness won us over and D rarely questioned my random fruit and vegetable acquisitions again.

Over the months the rainbow vegetable remained on my mind and I eventually bought seeds for planting them when the bucket garden was a mere dream. They would soon sprout into their glory and remain a site as the stalks matured.

One day, impatient for my own chard to mature, I hit up the vegetable market for a bunch. They became a perfect accent to a delicious cold summer soup.

Finally the glory of my rainbow swiss chard in the buckets was breathtaking. Glowing yellows, radiant reds and electric pinks made the calling to me. I plucked them from their buckets and presented them to D. What to make when the temperature is too hot to handle the kitchen? Some quick and easy pasta, requiring minimal cooking.

As residents of Queens suffered through blackouts in the high temperatures D and I considered ourselves fortunate with our minimized power—at least we still had the refrigerator (and if that failed a few buckets of bounty outside). We ran to the grocery to pick up fresh pasta. Requiring a mere 2 minute boiling time, it would serve as an ideal backdrop to a cold dish.

Whipping up a large batch of pasta, D and I had a fresh meal to last us through the week; no stovetops required.

GARDEN PASTAspan>
Serving Size= 6-8 persons. Active time= 10 minutes.
* 2 pounds fresh spinach pasta
* 1 bunch rainbow swiss chard, loosely chopped
* 1- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas), washed and drained
* 1 red bell pepper, sliced into ¼-inch strips
* 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
* 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
* ½ cup fresh firm ricotta cheese, crumbled
* ½ cup kalamata olives
* 2 Tbl olive oil

1) In a sauce pot on medium-high heat, bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, wash and drain. Set aside in a large bowl.
2) In a large skillet on medium heat, warm 2 Tbl olive oil. Add pepper, onion, garlic and cook until aroma is loosened (about 3 minutes). Add swiss chard, cover and cook until leaves wilt (4-6 minutes).
3) Add swiss chard, peppers, onions, garlic, garbanzo beans, ricotta and olives to pasta. Serve warm or cold.

Below is Kitty and her beloved squirrel toy. We train her to search and destroy these little critters that attack my garden—if only she were allowed outside to put her training work. The glazed look in her eye? We get her good and high so she can forget her killer instinct (the squirrel is full of catnip). Check out this weekend’s cat antic WCB over at Eat Stuff.