(Sadly, I didn’t take photos this past week. If I remember I’ll bring home one of my students drawings to scan and post– when we have down time I have students draw dishes we made to put in the cookbook next to the recipes.)

The week before winter break I took it easy with my students. I perhaps should not seeing we have our end of the semester party coming up at the end of January. At the moment we have three items frozen for the party: empanadas, veggie wontons and this week entries meze dips. I’m being given vague answers on the numbers to expect (anywhere from 50 to 300 adults), how much is consumed (the food is always finished early) and what’s been done in the past (the truffles were a hit). On top of it, I’ve only catered my own parties with help yourself/buffet service and the last time I passed food was for Girl Scouts. For this event I have fifth graders passing food. All that combined I’m starting to get a little nervous.

The week before winter break we were supposed to make stuffed grape leaves. I realized our week was shortened and knew some students would be taking longer breaks and not be in class. I needed those grape leaves for the party and frankly, I need the motor skills of my older students (classes that would be canceled due to break). A quick rearrangement and I had meze dips ready for my students in the shortened week.

Meze dips are a perfect no hassle party food. Easy to make in large quantities and take hardly any time to prepare. (Seriously, I had so much time at the end of class I started asking everyone what they wanted to make next semester. Unfortunately, the ideas for the most part didn’t go past a traditional kid’s menu.) The dips for the most part also freeze well. This meant the students could kick out large quantities of dips in small numbers.

Another great thing about these meze is that the kids are familiar with the ingredients or at least final product. Hummus? Sure I eat that all the time. What?! Made out of beans, gross! Red peppers? Delicious. Tzatziki? I can’t say it, but cucumbers are my favorite food. Meaning? These dips are a great way to get kids eating good food they like. (Recipes below)

The first week back was also an easy time for my students. I was on vacation. That didn’t mean my students got a vacation though. I forwarded a no-cook Moroccan salad to school, bought all the ingredients and prepped work areas. We’ll see how that turned out when I return Monday.

Pita Wedges
1 packet pita
olive oil
za’atar*

*Za’atar is a wild thyme-based spice mixture available at Middle Eastern or specialty markets or in the International section of high end groceries. Each blend is slightly different based on the producer, but other spices include sesame seeds, sumac, salt and Aleppo pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice pita into 8 wedges. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar. Use as a base for the following meze dips:

Tzatziki
4 Persian cucumbers (or 1 regular, seeded), diced
2 pints Greek-style yogurt
2 lemons, juiced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 sprigs fresh dill, washed and chopped
salt to taste
paprika, for garnish

Mix first six ingredients. Place a dollop on a pita wedge, sprinkle with paprika to serve.

Hummus
1 16 ounce can chickpeas, washed and drained
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt to taste
za’atar, for garnish

Place first 6 ingredients in a blender. Blitz until smooth, adding water, 2 tablespoons at a time as needed to process. Salt to taste. Place a dollop on a pita wedge, sprinkle with za’atar to serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
2 cups roasted red peppers (if using jarred, drain and pat dry)
1 lemon, juiced
1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 cup tahini
salt to taste
capers, for garnish (or a single caper berry)

Place first six ingredients in a blender. Blitz until smooth. Salt to taste. Place a dollop on a pita wedge, sprinkle with capers to serve. Note: Replace tahini with yogurt, feta, almonds or walnuts for a totally new dip.

Moroccan Carrot Salad
1/2 pound carrots, washed, peeled and grated (about 4 large carrots)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients until combined. Season with more salt to taste if desired. Serve as a side dish or with pita wedges (above). Note: Try this salad stuffed in a pita with roasted chicken or one of the above dips.

Holidays and colds have put me a little behind these days but the kids continue to cook. I’ll round up our wonton week here and follow it up later tonight with our holiday cooking from last week and this week.

The first thing one must realize when cooking with kids is that your final dish will probably look nothing like you envisioned. You know those perfectly wrapped wontons that were demonstrated about six times? Not going to happen. What does happen is something much better and something the kids can be proud of. I just provided one rule: Seal the edges. Wonton shapes that came out were fabulous– from cinched up purses to envelopes. Eventually some boys decided their wontons were looking like spaceships, which became an even easier rule: Astronauts cannot be exposed to space! Seal them in!

“Is this correct?”

“Can you see the astronauts?”

“No.”

“Then we’re set for take off.”

Our semester finishes at the end of January with a big party where all the clubs in the after school program show off what they’ve been doing with their time. Ceramics has an art display, dance shows off their dance and cooking provides the food for everyone with the 4th and 5th graders as servers. So far we’ve made butternut squash empanadas and the other week it was the wontons pictured above (our upcoming weeks are all party-centric). Most of the kids were really good sports saying how much fun it was to fill and shape these packets. (I told everyone they had to make at least 20 wontons.) Of course, some tuckered out, “planning for a party is hard work! Two more!” I told them. Some of the students even started setting up production lines: “I just made 10 at once!” My response: “Good job! See if you can now do 15 at once!”

The best part is that not only did the kids find these fun to form, they really enjoyed eating them. I had them grating ingredients by hand and while they were exclaiming how tiring it was, I caught many sneeking nibbles of shredded carrots and edamame. Once cooked, they were clamoring for more than their alloted two– “Sorry! We need to save the rest for the party!”

During the party, we’ll be frying these up and serving them with dipping sauce. In class, we boiled them, put a dash of miso in our water and had an Asian fusion dumpling soup that the kids dug.

Vegetable Wonton Soup
Makes about 60 wontons

Filling:
1 cup edamame beans, shelled
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon ginger
6 scallions, sliced
2 carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Wonton wrappers

Blitz edamame, garlic, soy sauce, honey and ginger in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in remaining filling ingredients. Place a wonton wrapper on a work surface. Use your finger to brush the edges with water. Add approximately 1/2 tablespoon to the center of the wonton, fold in half, corner to corner, forming a triangle and sealing edges. Pinch the triangle corners together. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining wontons. Freeze the wontons overnight on the cookie sheet then transfer to a freezer bag or cook them to eat immediately.

To cook: (Fried) Heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Add in a few wontons. Cook 2-3 minutes each side until lightly browned. Serve with dipping sauce. (Boiled) Bring water to a boil. Drop in a few wontons. Boil 5-6 minutes. Add hot water over 1 teaspoon of miso paste (optional) and a few pieces of seaweed, stir to combine. Add wontons and garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro.

These last few weeks have slipped through my fingers but I promise the kids are still cooking. Herewith is a round up of our recipes to bring everyone up to speed. Happy feasting!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese.

This is one of my favorite soups made many times before in slightly different forms. I wasn’t too thrilled with the one we made in class and I blame it on using vegetable stock over chicken stock. It was still delicious but didn’t have as deep a flavor I think chicken stock imparts. For this one we were exploring curry. Many of the kids knew they’d had it before but couldn’t necessarily place it. Finally on Thursday a student mentioned it smelled like Tikka Masala. Thank you scent memory!

The apple grilled cheese was of course a favorite. I used brioche bread and purchased a yellow cheddar and a Gruyere cheese, allowing the students to taste both cheeses and pick the one they wanted to use. Surprisingly most went for the Gruyere saying how much they preferred “white cheddar” over yellow. A few students weren’t too sure about apples on their grilled cheese– “trust me, this is a favorite combination for almost everyone.” (Especially if you throw in a glass a wine.) In the end, one of my students proclaimed these sandwiches were “definitely better than the grilled cheeses at school.” I replied that it’s probably because we’re using real cheese. Another said they had never tasted bread so delicious. (Which might be true because I had adults raiding my refrigerator all week and was provided a key to lock my fridge after that week.)

All recipes found at the bottom of entry.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble.

When the year started I thought it would be great to have my students make something for Thanksgiving they could all share with their families. I originally wanted to make apple pies and even had fall-shaped cookie cutters for decorating the top crust. In the end, I went with a graham-cracker crusted crumble. A little more rustic looking and a little easier time-wise since we only have one hour and if we were to make a pie I wanted homemade crust. Also, do you know how many supplies you need to make 70 pies!?

I bought apple peelers for this and the kids had a blast peeling all the apples with ease. Highly recommended. I also bought apple cutters that cut wedges. These were a little difficult for young ones to maneuver with apples sometimes flying from beneath them. In the future I might add the apple cutting attachment on the apple peeler, getting it all done in one shot.

Otherwise, they loved the crumbles. Most were shocked at how tart cranberries are raw, but how they pop into something so sweet and juicy once baked. The students got really creative here. Whereas I said, just add a bunch of handfuls of filling and fill the spaces with cranberries (in the interest of time), a lot of students took great care to layer the apples, dotting the pie symmetrically with cranberries. None could believe how high we had to stack the apples, some literally putting 4 slices of apples in their crust (making smiley faces) and saying they were done. “Keep going! We need a mountain,” I kept saying.

So the kids happily brought their crumbles home and I had a baked crumble for each class to enjoy and taste what their finished product may be. This past week some of the students even told me they were bringing their crumble on the plane to their Thanksgiving feasts outside the city! I love it.

Cranberry-Caesar Salad with Turkey.

Last week was a shortened week for the holiday but I wanted to keep it holiday themed. Since we did our crumbles the week before (every student had a crumble to take home), this week was our “Thanksgiving leftovers.” Caesar salad was always one of my favorite salads growing up (and still is). When I was young, no anchovies please, not realizing they were hidden inside the dressing. Now of course, extra anchovies, please! So I thought this would be a fun salad to explore.

I’ve made a grapefruit caesar before so I knew I wanted to replace the tart lemon with some tart cranberry sauce. Turkey was the obvious Thanksgiving leftover protein here and we made croutons with stale bread. Equally delicious, or perhaps more delicious, would have been frying up some stuffing patties as the croutons (next time).

At the beginning of class I had a few girls come up to me: “Oh, I’m really sick.”
“No you’re not or you wouldn’t have been in school today.”
“No, I have that H1N1, you just can’t tell.”
“Nice try.”
“No, I mean I’m allergic to salad.”
“No you’re not, I have a list of everything everyone is allergic to.”
“Okay, I don’t eat salad.”
“Rule #1 is we all eat everything.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to like it.”
“Great, that’s rule #2.”

In the end these same girls were in awe of the pink hue this dressing took on, “It looks like a strawberry smoothie!” And it did. The cranberry turned out to be a great addition and then, “Where did all those wormy fish go?”
“They’re in the dressing.”
“I can’t even taste them!”

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
8 servings

1 large butternut squash, reserve seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tart apple, plus (recommended: Granny Smith), peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon curry
4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Special Equipment: Immersion Blender

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, deseed, reserving seeds. Place facedown on a baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Rinse seeds and lay out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake about 10 minutes, until golden and just beginning to pop.

Warm the olive oil in a saucepot on medium high heat. Saute onion and apple, 10 minutes. Add curry and stir to incorporate. Scoop squash flesh from the skin. Add flesh to saucepot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or carefully with a stand blender). Serve, sprinkled with seeds or chopped apple.

Apple Grilled Cheese
8 servings

16 slices thick cut potato bread, challah or brioche
Gruyere cheese (or cheddar), sliced
2 tart apples (recommended: Granny Smith), cored, sliced into 16 to 18 segments
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

NOTE: Other delicious additions include roasted garlic, caramelized onions, thick-cut bacon, and/ or sautéed mushroom

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay 8 slices of bread on a baking sheet. Top the bread with a few thick slices of cheese. Layer with apples then top with another single slice of cheese. Top with the second slice of bread, brush with melted butter and bake, 15 minutes, flipping sandwiches and brushing with more butter halfway through baking.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble
1 9-inch crumble

Filling:
4-5 tart apples (recommended: Granny Smith, McIntosh, Cortland), peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons flour
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crust:
1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Make Filling:  Toss filling ingredients until evenly combined, set aside, allowing flavors to mingle.
Make Crust: Mix crushed graham crackers, melted butter, lemon zest and nutmeg. Push into a 9-inch pie tin, coating into an even crust on bottom and sides, approximately 1/8-inch thick.
Make Topping: Mix filling ingredients with a fork until large crumbs form.
Assemble Pie: Add filling over crust. Sprinkle topping over apple filling. Bake or freeze.

A few hours before serving, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove crumble from freezer, remove any coverings and bake on middle rack 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F, bake 30-35 minutes, until bubbly, fragrant and apples are tender. Cool on a rack at least 1 hour before serving.

(Optional) Reheat a slice in the microwave and top with a scoop of vanilla, caramel or cinnamon ice cream.

Cranberry-Caesar Salad with Turkey
12 servings

Croutons:
Stale bread
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Dressing:
4 anchovies, patted dry
3 large cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 egg
3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons tarragon or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Make Croutons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Assemble bread on a sheet pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes, until golden.
Make Dressing: Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Note: If you trust the source of your eggs and know they are fresh (bought direct from a farm or Greenmarket) you may eat them raw. If not, boil egg for 1 minute before using.
Assemble Salad: Toss dressing with leftover salad greens, about 1 cup of shredded turkey and croutons.

Here’s a quick barely-a-recipe recipe. So barely a recipe I’m not going to post one (though it’s described below).

My plate has been full lately– I just started teaching K to 5th graders cooking. (I’ll try to keep up with posting my recipes we make here and maybe even post pics of the the students’ creations.)

Until then, D and I are trying to figure out our new routine and one of those routines is keeping salads around for a quick throw together lunch or dinner. The red is a bulked up raw beet salad from the other week. Bulked up with shaved cucumber. The herring is even more simple. It’s over there in the left side of the shot. Really, no recipe needed. It’s a jar of drained pickled herring, a dollop of sour cream, and a hefty dose of curry sprinkled over top. No cooking required.

It’s a simple pull together and you can make other flavors too– mix in a dollop of spicy mustard and fresh dill to the drained herring. A little hot pepper. Some horseradish and tomato paste. Or keep it original. Eat it with a good salad, a hearty tear of bread and a cool beer and dinner is ready in seconds.

With this meal D proclaimed he was feeling quite Latvian. He can dream.

I love beets. I love them roasted and warm in the winter sprinkled with salt. Tossed with some goat cheese over arugula. With citrus. Pickled with falafel. In pasta. Fermented. With chocolate. In borscht– pretty much any way you can throw them at me, I will eat.

D is not (always) a fan. And I have to admit I sometimes tire of figuring out different methods (often time consuming) that D will enjoy beets with me. (Favorites have been pickled and in pasta.) I also will admit that I’m not always a fan of the extended cooking time beets require, especially in the summer months.

I do know D likes his coleslaw. And I know that beets are delicious with some acid. So perhaps if beets were sliced thin enough, tossed with some sweet carrots and acid, D will enjoy a beet ’slaw? Maybe? A sort of quick pickle.

I tried it out when D’s sister, another beet loather, was in town. I figured two beet loathers and one new beet salad might a good experiment make. (We also received beets in our CSA share.)

The verdict? Fair success. While I’m sure a generous dollop of mayonnaise added to the beets would have secured ultimate success, this salad was refreshing, crisp, ’slaw-like, and required no cooking of beets (the true desire). Better still, with food processor on shred this salad was a snap to assemble.

Raw Beet Salad
Active Time= 15 minutes. Cook Time= 0 minutes.
4-5 medium-sized beets
3-4 medium-sized carrots
2 scallions, chopped
1 bunch mint, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt to taste

Peel beets and carrots and slice in a food processor with shredding attachment. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with scallions and mint. Place apple cider vinegar, orange juice, mustard, honey and celery seed in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Toss ingredients to coat, season to taste with salt.

NOTE: 1/2 cup mayonnaise or sour cream can be added to this dish if you prefer cream-based coleslaws.

A little urban gardening update is in order before more goodies, and the true 2009 harvest gets under way. Beginnings are pictured above and a recipe is at bottom. A timeline of winter urban gardening follows:

In early November, bracing the settling chill of the City, D and I haphazardly construct a cold frame in our garden plot and set out some seed. When I say haphazard I mean it in the truest sense: with no hard design plan (though two conflicting views in our minds) we enter a second hand building supply store near the garden. In approximately 1 hour, after much debate as to which plan to build, we leave with 4 pieces of wood (2 long; 2 short) and a large glass door I bargained down to $20. In 15 minutes, fighting the cold, we hold the wood together (no nails/ screws) and push soil around the sides to keep them in place. Getting cold and dark, I toss random cold hardy seeds inside our new cold frame: kohlrabi, mustard, arugula, tatsoi, spinach, radish, and potentially some others I mark as “?” in the garden journal. The glass door is set over top and we return in approximately 1 month.

To great surprise, makeshift cold frames have appeared in other garden plots constructed out of clear plastic and held down with rocks. To even greater surprise, many of the seeds we threw down actually sprout, specifically the tatsoi, radish, mustard, arugula and spinach. “Take that farmers!” We call to cold streets and abandoned buildings around the garden. We consider ourselves trendsetters in winter gardening. In the fading daylight hours of winter we had created a fabulous self-watering greenhouse (thank you condensation).

By late December we have the first of a measly harvest, not even enough for a side salad and we question if this is worth it– $30 for the wood and glass and about $10 in seeds (with seeds left over for future plantings come spring).

January is brutally cold and surprisingly snowy for New York City. We question our shoddy cold frame construction.

Early February arrives and after diligently ordering $60 of seeds for a 2009 planting season and reading many a garden book, my faith is renewed in our winter plants: we had simply started a few months too late. If we really want to benefit from a winter harvest, seeds must be planted in August to allow maturity in long days of sun and hibernation in shortened days December to mid-February.

We return in mid-February to find our once sad plants have taken off with the lengthening days. “Take that brutal January!” There was even a rogue something or other we could not yet decipher that had sprung from a late summer planting, not intended for the cold frame. Chamomile, planted late last season has survived the winter exposed to all elements. We harvest a small salad.

By late-February I start a few seeds indoors and we return again on an unseasonably warm day to prepare our soil for spring planting. We chopped up and turn under corn stalks from last year and take a long inspection of the cold frame goodies. The rogue something or other turns out to be broccoli rabe, an excellent surprise. I harvest a large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

In mid-March we return again, this time finishing off soil prep and sow a few of the prepared beds with spring seeds: radish, spinach, arugula, mixed salad, carrots, swiss chard, scallions, cilantro, mint, sorrel and sage. I note in our garden journal that it is 3 weeks to the last frost date (April 13 in New York City). The newly planted radish are supposed to be ready to eat April 17 according to the 4 weeks-to-maturity date. The outlook is doubtful. This is not good news as I had hoped to pull the radish to make way for sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and cucumber. I harvest another large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

Late-March I return again and transplant some purchased strawberry and kohlrabi seedlings as well as some home-grown fennel, leek and kale seedlings started indoors. Sugar snap peas also find their home in the ground next to the slow-to-mature radish, as well as some marigold, mustard and another patch of arugula and mixed greens. The two-week-old radish, spinach, arugula and mixed greens are now all peeking at this point. Swiss chard, carrots, scallions and herbs are not visible (grumbles and curses ring out). I harvest another large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

In early-April I remove the glass from the cold frame. Leeks are looking straggly. Fennel is teetering on the edge of existence. Kale is kicking butt. November-planted greens continue on their course. I allow them to rest and grow before another harvest.

We come to present time, mid-April. Yesterday (estimated last frost date) I transplanted cilantro, cumin and basil into the garden that were started indoors. I am hoping this batch of cilantro holds on. I also direct-seeded parsley and another round of sage and mint. I harvested another large bag of mixed greens, including a single wintered radish and the rogue broccoli rabe. These should last four dinner-sized servings, potentially longer.

In total, the $40 I spent on supplies for the winter garden has served us 17 servings and counting. If these meals were at a restaurant it is a definite savings. Compared to farmer’s market organic purchases, I’m not sure just yet– though the winter crops will continue to feed us until the new seeds are large enough to take over at which point they will be pulled for some summer fare. The savings will no doubt be great as the original $10 spent on winter green seeds are still being seeded.

For these last few harvests I made a grapefruit Caesar salad dressing to enjoy with the spicy greens. Caesar is one of my all time favorite dressings and I order it liberally at restaurants, though often finish it with disappointment. Who says Caesar needs Romaine lettuce?! Or only croutons for adornment?!

With these slightly spicy mixed greens, simply served with a slice of wild salmon, the meal could not be more perfect to welcome in the spring (though April showers are doing a fine job of that). For something slightly more filling and exotic, I topped the salad with toasted hazelnuts and a few feta pieces, as pictured above.

Spicy Greens, Salmon and Grapefruit Caesar
2 servings. Active time= 10 minutes. Cook time= 8 minutes.
3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
2 large handfuls mixed spicy greens (mustard, arugula, kale, tatsoi, etc)
1/4 pound feta
Grapefruit Caesar Dressing (recipe below)
two 1/4 pound pieces wild salmon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt/ fresh-ground black pepper

In a dry skillet, toast the hazelnuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, set aside to cool slightly. Toss the mixed greens and feta with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the Grapefruit Caesar Dressing (recipe below). Warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Salt and pepper the salmon and cook, skin side up first, 3 minutes each side (for rare fish, longer for more done). Set finished salmon over the dressed lettuce, add hazelnuts over top.

Grapefruit Caesar Dressing
12 servings. Active time= 8 minutes. Cook time= 0. 
3 large cloves garlic (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
8 anchovies, patted dry
1 egg
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 teaspoons grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon mustard poweder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. NOTE: I use a raw egg in my dressing because I know the farm my eggs come from. You can alternately boil the egg in the shell for 1 minute.

There is nothing like a good fishermen stew to wipe the gray days from our April galoshes. Nothing like a French fishermen stew to make us feel properly elegant. And nothing like a big ol’ pot simmering away to offer plenty of leftovers for the week to come (or freeze for the next rainy day).

Bouillabaisse (pronounced boo-ya-base), not only fun to say, is a delicious alternative to your basic fish soup. Even better, it is far healthier than its cream-based cousin, Chowder.

This fish stew comes to our shores via France as a way for fishermen to use up unsold leftovers from their catch. It comes to our plate today because I canned 25 quart jars of tomatoes and when I brainstormed uses for them beyond pasta, this was a dish listed (just after tomato ice cream).

What I love most about this dish, other than using up 2 jars of tomatoes, is the use of fennel. Woe is the lowly fennel bulb in the US marketplace that receives little attention. While I use fennel, and to a greater extent anise (fennel seeds) in dishes– most notable citrus-based salads, I loved the idea of adding it to a soup base. Fish is the perfect compliment to this tangy licorice-laced vegetable. (I used anise in my Bouillabaisse, noting it in the recipe, because it was what was on hand.) But thoughts of fennel have me dreaming of a spring fennel-potato cream soup. Thankfully, fennel seeds were planted last week in the garden.

I bulk of flavor of my stock comes from a cod head I purchased at my local fish monger. It’s flavor is far more subtle than fattier, stronger flavored fishes, like salmon, and provides a rich base to build on. After that, the remaining fish is a matter of preference and price. While there are Bouillabaisse purists who claim only certain seafood is allowed in a Bouillabaisse, I recommend a combination of favorite shellfish and fish that can hold up in a stock: clam, mussels, calamari, shrimp, cod and monkfish.

Another ingredient of Bouillabaisse is saffron. While I love the subtle sweet woodsy flavor of saffron, I believe the true winner in this dish is the fish. Saffron is expensive and I recommend forgoing this ingredient if you don’t have it around.

An interesting factoid to keep in mind once you get to adding the fish: Bouillabaisse is a combination of two French words bolhir, to boil, and abaissar, to simmer. So named because you add your first fish when the stock boils. Once added, the temperature drop, reducing the stock to a simmer. Return to a boil, add the next fish, again the stock is reduced to a simmer, and so forth. With each return to boil you can be assured that your fish is cooking through, without overdoing it– as long as you begin your bolhir with your fish that will cook from longest to shortest (approximately).

Bouillabaisse
Serving Size= 8. Prep Time= 20 minutes. Cook Time= 45 minutes.
12 clams
1 pound mussels
1 pound monkfish (with bone)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, sliced thinly
1 4-inch length of orange peel
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon anise seeds (or 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly)
1 cod head
4 generous pinches saffron
1 tablespoon dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram would work)
2 quarts whole canned tomatoes, loosely chopped
1 pound cod, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 pound shrimp
1/2 pound calamari
salt/pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped,  for garnish

Clean beards from mussels, set aside. Cover clams with room temperature salted water in a bowl, set aside. Remove monkfish from bone. Cut meat into 2-inch pieces, set bone aside.

Warm the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and orange peel, saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and anise, stir 2 minutes. Add 2 quarts of water, monkfish bone and fish head. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove bone and head. Stir in saffron until dissolved. Add dried herbs and tomatoes, return to a boil. Add clams. Return to a boil and stir to encourage opening. Add mussels. Return to a boil and stir to encourage opening. Continue to add shellfish and fish one at a time, returning the pot to a boil before each new addition. Stir the pot after each addition to encourage shellfish to open. Once calamari is added, cook just 2 to 3 minutes longer, remove from heat then salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, strain shellfish and fish into a large serving bowl or platter, sprinkle with half the parsley. Serve broth in bowls garnished with parsley. (Keeping these separate makes reheating easy– just reheat broth and once boiling, pour over fish and shellfish instead of recooking, eventually overcooking, fish and shellfish!) Bouillabaisse is often served with good crusty bread spread with a saffron mayonnaise and boiled potatoes.

For the past few months, D and I built a mountain of squash by squirreling away our Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) deliveries. The thinking: we received little winter squash from our CSA last year due to a short harvest and would therefore savor every squash that crossed our path this year. (Last year consisted of many root vegetables because I refused to purchase any greens from the grocery making D quite ornery– For some reason he is unable to purchase these items unless he is told to do so and blames me.) As the squash rolled in (since October), D and I cautiously administered our provisions with a single rule: no squash until the depths of winter– unless rotting was otherwise visible.We appointed similar rulings to the tomatoes I canned: only 3 quarts per month from December to March. And corn: only 2 per month as long as we didn’t die after the first jar (that’s another story to come).

Our bounty grew so great that as fellow members of the CSA came into our home their eyes would pop: are you taking extra squash home? Not at all– we haven’t been eating it.

And then it overflowed.

You can understand that in a proper home this mountain would be no problem– a cool basement, garage or cellar would do the trick for storage. New York City is a different beast. Limited closet space already with a brawl underway between our tomatoes, corn, camping gear and vacuum, no basement, no garage. I piled our squash high in our largest wooden bowl (and then around it) on our dining room table (we’re lucky to have the space for a dining room table) creating a cubist-still-life-quasi-Jenga masterpiece of balance.

It was beautiful. Until rot entered.

First it hit an acorn squash. Just one, but my reaction was to cook up as many as possible to avoid an outbreak. I made a squash ravioli full of butter, nutmeg and sage. Eaten with such hunger no picture was secured.

Then a quick and basic soup with pretty much solely squash and chicken broth.

Another (deconstructed) ravioli followed. Eaten again with such gusto no picture was had. I say deconstructed because this time I was too lazy to stuff the ravioli so I cubed the squash, made linguini and tossed it all together.

The leftover deconstruction turned into a hash of sorts.

We turned to admire our slightly smaller mountain for a little more than a month. Squash no longer flowed beyond the confines of the bowl, but it remained that still life structure of sort.

So yesterday, with purpose to make the mountain more a mole hill, with an uncertain ending in mind, I roasted two butternut and the last two acorn squash. (I really was planning to keep the acorn squash for a coconut squash custard, bought all the ingredients, but was never in the mood.) I toyed with more ravioli, then with actually making squash-based noodles. I eventually grew hungry and settled on more soup.

The resulting dish wasn’t so much soup as a thick base that can go a step further. I think D was thinking this when he smelled the soup warming and whipped up some Basmati rice with saffron, pine nuts, raisins, and goji berries (a gift from my mom picked up at a recent food show)

I realize that most of my squash soup recipes contain some curry (because it’s a combination I love) and recently I’ve even added coconut milk. This recipe differs in the its final consistency- it’s much thicker. I also amped up the curry and D started tossing in ingredients as well. We used an ingredient called Coconut Smiles (another ingredient my mom sent me a while back). It’s simply dried coconut pieces, unsweetened. This ingredient is really what altered the consistency into more of a sauce because once blitzed, the coconut bits turn into a sort of coconut cream.

While we ate the dish as a soup last night and again for lunch, I can’t help but think slow roasting some lamb or chicken in it would be amazing, using it more as a sauce. This is why I am not calling it a soup. The ending is up to you. Blitzing it with some garbanzo or white beans as a spread would be delicious. Or simply heat some garbanzo beans in it for a great curry.

As an aside, when D’s rice was complete he excitedly created the rice domes while plating and dubbed the dish Utopia. Or maybe this is also a tribute to its many possibilities.

Curry Coconut Winter Squash
Serving size= 6. Active time= 20 minutes. Cook time= 30 minutes.
3-4 small-sized winter squash, roasted (acorn and small butternut are a good combination)
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
6 cloves garlic, lightly crush
1 tart apple (like granny smith), roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 loose cup (about 5 ounces) dried, unsweetened coconut slices (alternatively, you can use 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or even 1 can coconut cream)
1-1/2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 thai orange hot pepper (or other hot pepper or pepper flakes)
1 whole clove
2 whole allspice
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
salt/ pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish (optional)

(Preheat oven to 400F. Slice squash in half, remove pulp and seeds, place skin up and roast until soft, aproximately 45 minutes. Allow to cool.)

Heat a stock pot over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add garlic, apple, onion and coconut. Saute for 4 minutes until onions are slighlty translucent. Add curry powder, coriander, hot pepper, clove and allspice, stir to coat evenly and saute 4 minutes more. Use a spoon to scoop out squash flesh and add to pot. Add chicken or vegetable broth, cover and bring to a boil. Carefully in batches puree the soup using a strong blender (the coconut will still be fairly firm) until a smooth, even texture is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve as soup, sauce, spread, etc with rice, protein or both. Garnish with cilantro.

Note: D made the rice in the above picture. It is basmati rice with a pinch of saffron, toasted pine nuts (almonds would be delicious too), a handful of raisins and a few goji berries stired in when the rice was finished cooking. He seasoned it with salt and pepper (a sprinkle of ground cardamom would also be good).

Dare I say I’ve gone strawberry crazy?

I am quite happy to inform folks that I have bushels of strawberries in my possession. I excitedly contemplated all the delicious things to make: wine, jam, ice cream, scones, lemonade… As I thought, I realized I was quickly eating through my stash. So sweet in their natural state, I started thinking, Applying them to a dish would be sacrilegious! (They do much better in my belly unadulterated.)

The more sensible part of me methodically began pulling stems and lining the berries on a baking sheet to freeze, then bag for a future use (as there was no way all could be eaten before spoiling). As I lined a cookie sheet with strawberries I realized how nicely uniform so many of them were. In fact, they appeared to be a perfect little army dressed for strawberry battle in some distant fruit land– perhaps protecting Strawberry Shortcake (the cartoon or the dessert)? Each berry was outfitted with a gnome-like cap. (How adorable.)

As I admired my infantry, the Giant of Terror in the Land of Berries approached. Oooo, strawberries! D exclaimed as his colossal hand reached into my helpless army patch and snatched up soldiers. One after another he ate my freshly stemmed friends. “Stop eating my strawberry army!”

“Uhhhh… Your what?”

“Nothing… They’re just my strawberry army. You can’t eat them, eat these.” I shoved over the random piling of discarded strawberries sprawled on the counter, not perfect enough to join my forces.

So now sits a bag of berries marked “not for giants” awaiting recipes in the freezer. If I can rein myself in they will be saved for a blistery day in late December. While I ponder future berry times I’ll whip up an occasional strawberry smoothie: 2 parts frozen berries, 1 part heavy cream. It is the purest and sweetest milk shake I ever had.

Strawberry Smoothie
Serves 2
1.5 cups fresh frozen strawberries
3/4 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)

Method: Place ll ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add more heavy cream to thin out if necessary.

If you can still find some fresh berries this late in the season a favorite application was in salad. You may add or subtract from any of these ingredients.

Strawberry Salad
Serves 4-6
1 head romaine, or similar crisp lettuce, washed and separated
1 handful arugula, washed
1 bulb kohlrabi*, sliced into matchstick size cuttings
1 bunch fresh herbs (thyme, basil, parsley work well), loosely chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas, washed and stemmed
4 ounces goat cheese or fresh ricotta, crumbled
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
mustard vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Method: Toss all prepped ingredients and serve with dressing on the side.
*Kohlrabi is an odd looking vegetable, but worth a try (it’s very high in vitamin C). The flavor is similar to cabbage, but crossed with the crispness of a perfect apple. It is a great addition raw to coleslaw or salad. Just cut off the stalk and slice (I don’t even peel mine).

Mustard Vinaigrette
This dressing will keep so make enough and store in a small glass container. Season to preferred acidic taste.
1 part whole grain mustard (Dijon makes an excellent one)
1 part lemon juice
1 part olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Method: Add all ingredients to a jar and shake just before applying to salad. (This dressing is great over fish like halibut or salmon.)

NOTE: This strawberry salad recipe was entered into Healthy Cooking’s recipe event, because hey, what’s more healthy than fresh ingredients? No substitutes needed!

I love winter. Silly to say now, as we all, myself included, embrace the spring with an unrelenting hold, despite the mild rainy interruptions. Maybe it is easier to say, as it is on its way out, but I love the crisp smell of decay in the air as winter begins. I love hot chocolate, sledding, snowmen, sweaters, ice formations, and enormous fireplaces to snuggle up next to with a cup of broth. I love the first taste of root vegetables– sweeter on the east coast than the west coast because the bitter cold and vegetable’s death allows the sugars to concentrate more (take that west coast weather!). Perhaps it is because mine and D’s birthdays both fall in the dead of winter, or the stews, roasts and braises that beckon friends over and keep them long into the night because no one dares go outside.

Admittedly, I also love the spring. That first warm rain and pop of bud on the trees, the first inkling of cherry blossoms and that initial push through frost from the ground. It’s the promise of harvest all over again, springing to green.

D and I spent the winter eating from our CSA’s winter share. Pretty much root vegetables for the past 4 months– most not posted. Although I think D is convinced it was less of a winter share of mixed vegetables and more of a beet share. Needless to say we were both overjoyed at the first glimpse of green as we took a walk through the greenmarket a few weeks ago, even if it was just broccoli rabe, asparagus and scallions mixed with some cellar-over carrots and potatoes, it was pure heaven. In the past two weeks I have purchased over six bundles of asparagus, broccoli rabe and scallions and threw in one bunch of spinach I spied last week.

I once heard a chef say something to the effect that Nature got it right: when we eat by seasons we’re sure to get sick of something, but you don’t have to worry– by the time you’re tired of it, the next season comes around. When I tried to explain this to D he seemed less than pleased: “All I’m saying is you better work on your canning and preserving skills.” (Might D be a little bitter the tomatoes I canned over the summer only lasted until January?)

The above salad is the first real green salad of this year. I say real, because while I’m sure we have had a salad in a restaurant over the winter, they were few and far between and hardly compared to the freshness of this baby. You know that’s true from D’s response: “I never thought I would be so happy to eat a salad.” (Remember that one come mid-summer when D refuses to eat another salad.) We added broiled salmon on top and a few boquerones, or white Spanish anchovies and a parsley-sour cream pesto. You can add whatever protein you have, or just eat this as a side.

First Spring Greens Salad
Serving Size= 2. Active time= 15 minutes.
1 pound salmon fillet
6 boquerones (optional)
1 bunch arugula
6 radish
1 spring onion or 2 scallions
1 carrot

Parsley “Pesto”
1 large handful parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic (optional)
2 Tablespoons sour cream
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1) Preheat broiler and sprinkle salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Broil 4-6 minutes, depending on thickness, until slightly blackened for medium-rare.
2) While salmon is broiling, wash and chop the arugula, radish, spring onion and carrot and distribute amongst two bowls.
3) Place parsley, lemon juice, sour cream and olive oil in a blender and puree until thick and evenly chopped.
4) Once salmon is finished, lay over salad, top with boquerones and add a few dollops of the parsley pesto over everything.