Scallop Ceviche with Pineapple and Basil

I'm back, again, for a brief spell, AGAIN. We're off to Texas next weekend for a wedding, which will bring our flying mileage for the summer to somewhere around 50 kerbillion combined. No more travel for this aero-phobe for at least a couple of months!

After a week of rich fare with my family in Chautauqua, NY (referred to variously as Brain Disneyland, Grandma Sleepaway Camp, or Kulture Kamp for Grown-Ups...), I was ready for some light, homemade food.

I'd been craving ceviche again, so I thought I'd try my hand at some new flavors. It was mighty tasty, if I do say so myself! I'm a fan of the scallop ceviche, and may not ever stray; I did add some poached shrimp this time just to add volume.

Scallop Ceviche with Pineapple and Basil



serves 2

4 oz bay scallops, sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 oz raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 c fresh pineapple, diced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 T red onion, minced
2 T fresh basil, minced

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil (enough to cover the shrimp). Add the shrimp and poach for 30 seconds, or until just pink. Immediately remove from the pan and plunge into a bowl of ice water. When cool, cut shrimp into 1-inch pieces
2. In a bowl, combine the shrimp and all remaining ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve cold.

Marinated Grilled Okra.

Lunch today was a cup of borscht (I'm going to freeze the rest...I'm a little beeted out.) and grilled okra. The Phoenix Public Market was overflowing with okra today, so I thought I'd give it a try.



If you're like me and have only ever had the slimy version coated in cornmeal and deep-fried, then definitely branch out and give this version a try. It was flavorful, crisp, and certainly not the gelatinous globbiness that I remember from the last time I had okra.

Tomorrow I'm off to Chautauqua, NY, for the week, where I will be attending summer camp for grown-ups with my family. While I'm sure I will be eating well (and lots!), I'm also pretty sure I won't be cooking any of it. You're on your own, Elaine...

Marinated Grilled Okra
adapted from The Passionate Vegetarian

Yes, another recipe from PV. I have it on loan from the library, and there are so many good recipes in there that I want to try them all before I have to return it! Sigh...I'll probably just end up buying it...

Crescent lists three different marinades for grilled okra, but I just combined two of them to use up some ingredients on hand. This dish would be a perfect side to accompany any kind of grilled steak or as part of a grilled vegetable cornucopia. I imagine it would also be excellent as part of a salad or salsa with grilled tomatoes and corn.

serves 1-2

6 oz fresh okra
2 tsp olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1 clove garlic
5-6 large basil leaves
1/4 c fresh cilantro
4-5 cherry or grape tomatoes

1. Set the okra in a flat baking dish.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to a food processor and process until uniformly chopped. Spread over okra and marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
3. Heat the grill to medium-high. Place marinated okra over direct heat and grill about 4 minutes per side, or until char marks appear and the okra is soft.
4. Serve whole.

Beetstravaganza!

I have been informed that Elaine does not care for beets. And she's RUSSIAN. Oh well, Elaine is going to have to put up with at least one more beet-centric recipe, because I'm going out of town and I'm pretty sure Nate won't eat them. And darn it, I worked HARD to roast those things!

Plus, Elaine, you have to admit, beets are hands-down the prettiest vegetable out there. I mean, what other brilliantly pink food can you eat that isn't of the sugar-coated marshmallow variety*? Check it:



*Don't misunderstand...I am a card-carrying Peeps lover.

Menu:
Borscht
Garlic-Herb Braised Cod
Spanish Millet

So if you have a bunch of cooked beets sitting around waiting to be used up, and it's a hundred-and-umpteen degrees outside for the 75th day in a row, you just have to make borscht. And you have to serve it in a bone-china white soup bowl, because there just isn't a prettier pink in nature. This recipe was adapted from another great cookbook, The Silver Palate Cookbook. I've written it as I made it, which involved cutting down the ingredients to make about 3 1c servings.

Borscht
adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

serves 3

2 1/4 c cooked beets, cubed
2 c water
1 T sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3c milk
6 T light sour cream

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the beets, sugar, lemon juice, and salt and lower to a simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. While whisking, gradually add 1/4 cup of the beet mixture to the egg mixture. Turn the heat back on under the beat mixture and stir in the egg mixture just enough to heat through.
4. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours until very cold. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, sugar, or lemon juice as needed.
5. To serve, ladle 1 c soup into a bowl and top with 2 T sour cream.


Garlic-Herb Braised Cod



Nothing fancy here, just an opportunity to use up some wilting herbs from the refrigerator. Any combination that you like would work.

serves 2

1 T each minced basil, parsley, tarragon, and cilantro
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
2 4-6 oz cod fillets
2 T white wine or chicken broth

1. In a small bowl, combine the herbs, oil, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add the cod fillets and saute quickly on each side, about one minute per. Divide the herb mixture over each fillet, drizzle the wine over the fillets, and cover.
3. Braise for about 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately, spooning the cooking liquid over each serving.


Spanish Millet
adapted from Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian



1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced into thin vertical crescents
1 green bell pepper, diced (I used a roasted poblano pepper* here)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 c cooked Basic Fluffy-Style Millet**
Tabasco sauce to taste
3 T tomato paste

*1. To roast a poblano pepper, which I far prefer to using bell peppers: from fresh or frozen, place the pepper over a heat source (hot grill or gas stovetop flame) and roast until the skin is blistered and lightly charred, turning frequently. If you do this over your gas stovetop, be careful of pepper juice dripping onto the burner. Allow the pepper to cool and peel the bits of char off before dicing.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and pepper and saute for 1 minute.
3. Fold in the millet, cover, and heat through for about 5 minutes.
4. Mix in the Tabasco and tomato paste until fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


**Basic Fluffy-Style Millet
Follow the same recipe as for Basic Moist-Style Millet, but reduce the water to 2 cups and the cooking time to 18 minutes.

Beets, Beets, Beets!

Tonight's meal was taken again from Crescent Dragonwagon's book, Passionate Vegetarian. The Phoenix Public Market (which, if you live in Phoenix, you should make every effort to support on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings--even if you only go to sample the wares from the traveling creme brulee truck...) had beautiful, huge beets aplenty and I bought enough to make us bleed red for quite a few days.

A word about beets: I love them. They are pretty, they are great for you, they are versatile, they taste like you are eating everything good borne from the earth...but they are also MESSY. And honestly, while I'm all in favor of cooking from scratch and earning bragging rights for doing things like churning your own butter and making your own mayonnaise even thought it tastes exactly the same as Land-o-Lakes and Hellman's, this is a case where you can save yourself some time and bleach by simply buying the prepackaged version.

I roasted my beets. By the time I was done, my fingers were fuscia, my kitchen looked like the scene of a small massacre, and my roasting pan had burned beet sugar coating the bottom of it.

Trader Joe's has cooked, vacuum-packed beets available in the refrigerated section that I have kept on hand for salads and whatnot, and next time I want some beets in a pinch, I will reach for those again. Not to say I won't roast my own again, but definitely not on a weeknight. Heck, for all I know canned (gasp!!) beets might be just as good as the original, too. Sounds like some experimentin' is in order!

Menu:
Scallioned Beets and Their Greens in Herbed Mustard Sauce
Outrageously Good Pan-Crisped Millet-Vegetable Cakes


Scallioned Beets and Their Greens in Herbed Mustard Sauce



This was a very tasty and colorful vegetable side, but not worth the time it took to prepare the beets. I would definitely use pre-cooked next time. Also, my beets did not come with their greens, so I used kale instead. And finally, this is Whooo! Mustardy! And I love mustard! If you are at all mustard-phobic, this is not the dish for you. Next time I might temper it a bit with some honey or something. There was a whole lotta tang in this recipe. I've re-written the recipe as I made it (which basically just means I cut it in half and actually measured my beets).

Serves 3, generously

1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 c vegetable stock
1 1/2 T course-ground Dijon mustard
2 T reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp butter or olive oil (I omitted this and used cooking spray instead)
3 scallions, white and light green parts, minced
1 bunch (whatever came off the beets) beet greens, washed, stems finely diced, and leaves sliced into ribbons (I did not have greens and substituted a bunch of kale leaves)
1 pound Basic Baked Beets (to follow), cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T minced fresh parsley
1 T minced fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the cornstarch with 1 T of the stock to dissolve, then whisk in the remaining stock. Stir in the mustard and sour cream. Set aside.
2. Melt butter or spray cooking spray in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and greens and saute for 1 minute, then cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and add the beets and garlic to the pan and toss until just heated through, about 1 minute.
3. Whisk the mustard mixture. Quickly stir it into the beets. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is hot and thick, 1 minute at most. Stir in the herbs and taste for seasonings.

Basic Baked Beets
Servings variable

Whole fresh beets, all about the same size, greens removed and scrubbed.
mild vegetable oil, such as corn, canola, or peanut (I omitted this)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly coat each beet with oil (This was not necessary). Individually wrap the oiled beets in sheets of foil.
3. Place the beets in a baking dish in the preheated oven.
4. Bake until done, testing with a fork (the fork should go in easily, but the beet should still offer a tiny bit of resistance). This could be 35-90 minutes. I'd say mine took about 45 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool (or you can opt to do as I did and burn your fingerprints off trying to skin the hot beets because you are too hungry to wait). Unwrap and peel with a vegetable peeler or slip the skins off with your fingers.

Outrageously Good Pan-Crisped Millet-Vegetable Cakes



OK, I wouldn't classify these as "outrageously" good. They were Satisfactorily Good. As veggie burgers go, they were unusual because of their color and the addition of tahini. They were filling and very tasty. They called for ingredients that I would not have thought to include in a veggie burger and thus helped me branch out a bit (beets, millet). However, they were very soft and they took a long time to brown, and I got impatient and took them off before they were truly "pan-crisped." They might very well fall apart if eaten as a burger between bun halves. That being said, I would make them again and I'm glad I made the whole recipe so I could freeze the leftovers.

Makes 6 cakes

1 small beet
1 carrot
3 c Basic Moist-Style Millet (to follow)
1/2 c canned navy beans, rinsed and drained
2 T tahini
4 cloves garlic, peeled and split
juice of 1 lemon (all I had was a lime, this worked fine)
1 T soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

1. Using the grating blade of a food processor, grate the beet and carrot. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl containing the millet. Set aside.



2. Without washing the processor, replace the grater blade with the S blade. Add the beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Process until very smooth. Work the mixture into the millet, using your hands. Taste and add salt, pepper, or more soy sauce if needed.
3. Shape the mixture into 6 patties.
4. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until quite hot, then add the cakes and lower to medium. Cook slowly, 8-9 minutes, before gently flipping. Cook on the second side until crisp.

Basic Moist-Style Millet
makes 4 cups

1 c millet, well rinsed and rained
3 1/4 c water or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt

1. Over medium heat, in an ungreased cast-iron skillet (or stainless steel), toast the millet, stirring frequently, until lightly fragrant but not browned, about 2-3 minutes. This may take 7-9 minutes if it is still damp from rinsing. When it's reached the proper degree of toastiness it will also sort of skitter around the pan. Remove from heat.



2. In a pot with a tight-fitting lid, bring the water or stock and salt to a boil. Stir in the toasted millet. Return to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook until the millet is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 25-30 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Passionate Indian

I've been lugging Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian around for a few days, and I finally opened it today. I had shrimp in the refrigerator that needed to be used up and the recipe for lentil dal seemed to jump right out and ask for a little shrimpy protein.

Menu:
Grilled Curried Shrimp
Lentil Dal
Mr. Panseer's North Indian-Style Spinach

Lentil Dal



While not particularly pretty, this was restaurant-quality. I bet it'll be even better tomorrow. I pretty much made it as written, except I toasted all of the spices first. I don't know if this actually makes a difference, but it sure smells good while it's happening. I also subbed light butter for real.

Serves 4 (1/2 c servings)

3 c water
1 c brown lentils, rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp light butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 T grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
pinch ground cloves
pinch cayenne
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Bring the water to a boil and add the bay leaf and lentils. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are very soft, about 1 hour. Check occasionally to add water if necessary.
2. While the lentils are cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 3 minutes, Add the ginger and spices and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the spice mixture to the lentils and cook until the lentils are very soft, thick, and saucelike. Season with salt and pepper.


Mr. Panseer's North Indian-Style Spinach



This recipe calls for a cooking method that goes against all of my vegetable instincts, but I persevered and was rewarded with a mighty tasty dish. I usually like my veggies bright green and lightly blanched, but here the spinach is cooked to death for about an hour. I was afraid it was going to be a disgusting, mushy goo-fest, but actually it ended up turning into an intensely spinach-y aromatic stew-like side dish whose juices would make a lovely soup base. If I hadn't slurped them all out of the pan afterward, that is. I served the spinach over the dal in a bowl and topped the whole thing with shrimp. Rice would also be a good addition to soak up the liquid.

Serves 3

2 tsp clarified butter or vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 serrano chile, diced, seeds and membranes removed
1 T peeled grated ginger
1 T finely minced garlic
2 pounds fresh spinach, well washed, coarsely chopped
2 T water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add half of the chile and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
2. Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, allowing it to cook down until you are able to add all of it to the skillet.
3. Add the water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over very low heat for 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, spray a small skillet with cooking spray and heat the remaining chile and ginger until very hot. Stir into the spinach and serve.



Grilled Curried Shrimp

Serves 2

12 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 c warm water
2 T kosher salt
2 T sugar
1 c ice
3 T curry powder

1. Brine the shrimp: dissolve the salt and sugar in the warm water and add the shrimp and ice. Brine for 30-60 minutes, then drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Toss the shrimp with the curry powder and grill over high heat for 3-4 minutes or until just pink.
3. Serve over dal and spinach.

Grilled Cod Sandwiches, Saltspring Island Style.

And she's back!

Yes, I've been silent, but for a good reason: Vacation!!! We have lived in the desert for lo, these three years now, and have watched virtually every other citizen on this oven we call home get out of town during the summer while we sat at home like chumps. Steamy, sweaty, smelly (from the sweat) chumps.

But not this year...

We found ourselves needing to be in Denver for two weekends in a row in July, so we made a big trip out of it and spent the week in between in the Pacific Northwest. All told, we took 10 days and traveled to Denver, Seattle, Vancouver, Saltspring Island, and back to Denver (Boulder).

It. Was. Awesome. Of course, we could have been sitting in a cardboard box on the side of the road the whole time, and if it had just been cooler than 100 degrees, we still would have thought it was awesome.

I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that Canada (Vancouver environs in particular) seems like a pretty perfect place and I might defect. Don't say I didn't warn you. You can get all the utopian details on Nate's blog.

I will offer up one detail, though: the reason we were in Denver/Boulder for the second weekend of vacation was because there was an Ultimate Frisbee tournament there. Nate, who co-captains the Phoenix men's club team--Sprawl-- led the team to an undefeated weekend during which they rolled over all of the competition in the men's open division to take the title of the Colorado Cup!!! Very exciting!!! And no one got hurt!!!! Even more exciting!!!

But all good things must end, so here we are back in the inferno. On to the food.

Menu:
Grilled Cod Sandwiches with Mango Chutney
Charred Garlic and Mango over Greens with Chinese Dressing
Grilled Pineapple
Grilled Corn
Ice Cream

Grilled Cod Sandwiches with Mango Chutney




This was inspired by a great meal we had at a harborside restaurant called Moby's on Saltspring Island, which is off of Vancouver Island. This sandwich needs a superb bread, so I visited the trusty bakery down the street, Simply Bread, and scored some plump, beautiful challah rolls. Ciabatta would also work well here.

Serves 2

12 oz cod filet
cooking spray

2 challah rolls, split

2 T prepared mango chutney, divided
handful of mixed greens
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the grill to medium. Secure the fish in a fish basket or place in a grill pan coated with cooking spray. Grill over medium heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
2. Place the split rolls over the coals and toast for about 30 seconds, or until lightly browned (or almost burned, as was the case at our house tonight...)
3. Divide the cooked filet into two equal portions and place each one on the bottom of a toasted roll. Season with salt and pepper. Top with greens, 1 T chutney, and the top of the roll and serve while hot.


Charred Garlic and Mango over Greens with Chinese Dressing



The base for this dressing is from a 7/30/2010 New York Times recipe for a delicious-looking celery and tofu stir-fry that I intend to try someday. I made the oil a few days ago, and the house smelled so good I wanted to eat the air. It also gave me an excuse to visit Penzey's for such pretty things as star anise, crushed red pepper, cinnamon sticks, Sichuan peppercorns, and whole coriander. Num.

Dressing
2 T spiced peanut oil (see below)
3 T seasoned rice vinegar

Salad
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 mango, peeled and julienned
1 c broccoli, lightly steamed
8 c mixed salad greens

1. Whisk the oil and vinegar together until emulsified.
2. Thread the garlic cloves onto skewers or place them in one layer in a grill pan. Spray with cooking spray.



3. Char the garlic over a medium heat grill, about 2-3 minutes per side. They should be near-blackened and soft.
4. Divide the garlic, mango, broccoli, and greens over 4 plates. Drizzled the dressing over and serve.

Spiced Peanut Oil
1 c peanut oil
2 inches of ginger, peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces
1 stick cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 whole star anise
1 T Sichuan peppercorns
1/4 c red pepper flakes

1. Heat oil over medium heat until just simmering. Add ginger and spices and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 2-3 hours.
2. Strain oil into a jar and discard the solids.





I have to put in a plug here for one of my favorite Phoenix foodie spots, Sweet Republic. This amazingly amazing ice cream shop used to be within licking distance of our condo (actually, SR is still there, and so is the condo; we're the ones who moved. Foolishly. Now we live near a McDonald's.), and I have been known to occasionally drive the 30 minutes out of my way home from work to pick up some ice cream.

And I don't even really LIKE ice cream.

If you're ever in the vicinity of 90th St. and Shea in N. Scottsdale, go to Sweet Republic. It is your gastronomic duty.

Today's flavor picks:
Peanut Butter Chip
Honey Lavender
Cardamom