pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes and smoked cheese

Based on a recipe from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta by Marie Simmons.

This amount is for a large group or plenty of leftovers - can easily halve it.

1 pound pasta, cooked until al dente (tubetti, rotini, shells - whatever small shape you like; I used elbows yesterday). After you cook it, drain it well in a colander and cool running water. Put back in the pan, toss in a few good gollops of olive oil, and let it cool and forget about it while you're doing other things.

Combine together:
fresh ripe tomatoes (I used two largish Creole tomatoes - could have used another)
sundried tomatoes (I probably used 1/2 c of packed in oil sort, chopped finely)
1 T red wine vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have around, though I'd avoid balsamic because it would color the salad unattractively)
garlic, crushed (I used about 7 small cloves because it seems I never get enough out of the crusher)
salt and pepper
pinch (or two) dried oregano

Then add to tomatoes:
8 oz smoked gouda (my fave, though any kind of smoked cheese with substance is good)
chopped fresh basil (I used what I had - about 15 leaves)

Mix well, then add in the cooled pasta and toss to blend. Chill until time to eat (though I like to take it out a bit before, so it's not fully chilled - being a bit warmer makes the flavors richer).

****
So this allows some variation as well. I had some beet greens to eat but not many, and I was craving this salad & had smoked mozzarella in the freezer.

So, I sauted five cloves minced garlic with the chopped beet greens and about 2/3 can diced tomatoes until the greens were softened. I tossed that into the mix (omitted the crushed garlic & chopped fresh tomato) and yum!

I like beet greens for their light beety taste, but that didn't come through at all because of the melding of all the other strong flavors - it was more like spinach, a green to go with others.

broccoli salad

When I first graduated college, I worked a summer at a farm. At the end of the day, the sketchy produce that couldn't be sold the next day was left to the gleaners, and we could take it home as well. I would come home with big boxes packed with fresh produce, and Amy and I would experiment in the kitchen making free meals.

This broccoli salad, inspired by her mother when on a religious potluck bent, is one of my favorites. It can be adjusted to what you have on hand, and it's a great way to get some raw broccoli!

****
BROCCOLI SALAD

broccoli, raw, chopped
onion, minced - sweet (Vidalia or Walla Walla) or red (I think red is prettier but it can be strong)
raisins and/or dried cranberries and/or grapes
sunflower seeds or almonds (chopped/slivered/etc.) or pine nuts
[sun dried tomatoes]
bacon (fried until well done and crumbled/chopped)

dressing:
mayonnaise
red wine vinegar
sugar
salt & pepper

This is an eyeball recipe, so I'll guess. I used a bunch of broccoli (two medium heads bundled together) and chopped up the florets to a medium size and some of the stalk (finely).

With that, about half a medium red onion - chopped finely.

Two slices of bacon, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 c grapes sliced in half (easier to eat), 1/4 c sunflower seeds. (No sundried tomatoes because I used those in another recipe at the same meal, and I'm not crazy about them in the salad.)

For the dressing, I didn't read the label and accidentally dumped in a bunch of red cooking wine. So then I realized I didn't have any red wine vinegar (which I really think is best for this recipe), so I added in some rice wine vinegar. Maybe 1/2 c mayo and 1/4 c vinegar and 1/4 c (or less) sugar. Taste it and adjust accordingly - it should be mildly sweet and a little vinegary to enhance flavor and creamy. You'll know it's right when it tastes great!

Then mix dressing & salad ingredients and you'll be the hit of the party!
***
Little trick: I hate the smell of bacon frying in my house because it lingers and BLECH! Maybe I'm hypersensitive, maybe the stovetop fan doesn't work - whatever. THIS is the way to do it:
Side burner on the grill, baby. And if I didn't have that, I'd do cast iron straight on the grill. Let the neighborhood salivate and save my house the stench. Awesomeness.

hamburger/ hot dog buns - super easy!

Hmmm ... cheaper than store-bought, taste better, and better for us? Yeah, making them is a no-brainer, especially when this simple!

From here.

Homemade Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns

Heat to melt butter, then cool to about 120 degrees:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Then add in:
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 package instant yeast

about 4 1/2 cups flour (I used about 1 1/2 c whole wheat, the rest white all-purpose)

When the dough pulls together, (it will form a soft ball) turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).

Divide dough into 12 -16 equal pieces (I made 12 hamburger buns, though probably could have been 16).

Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place on baking sheet. (I flattened too much - they spread out too much. Better to leave smaller around than you want them at this stage.)

Let rise for 30 to 35 minutes. When buns have almost doubled in size bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

"You can brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse sea salt, or whatever you like. You can add dry onion soup mix for onion rolls. These are very versatile!"

rhubarb raspberry crisp

I brought back frozen rhubarb from Susan's yard and frozen raspberries that I picked with Amy - and this sounds yummy! It would also be really good with strawberries instead of raspberries, or any other fruit sort of combo. Because the top is pretty simple, mixed flavors in the bottom work well.

From here.

The crisp:

* 1 cup rolled oats
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)
* 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used less - more like 1/3 c)
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) cold butter, cut into chunks (yes, it's a lot, but the crisp I grew up with had 1 cup butter!)

1. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. With your fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut butter into oat mixture until coarse crumbs form. Cover and chill.

The berries:

* 6 cups fruit (I used about 2 c rhubarb & 4 c raspberries, all frozen though they thawed by the time I put it in the oven)
* 1/2 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar (depends on tartness)
* 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch

2. In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, raspberries, and rhubarb and mix gently to coat. Pour into a shallow 2- to 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle evenly with topping.

3. Bake in a 350° oven until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Very good with ice cream!

Wacky Cake

What's wacky? You mix it in the baking pan itself, and it's missing some typical ingredients (eggs, butter, milk). Rumor is it started being popular during war rationing, though others refute that. It's found on dozens of sites - I first found it here when looking for a cake to fit in a 9x9 pan (didn't want to make a bigger cake).

This was very popular with my friends and fantastic with vanilla ice cream. Very moist (don't decrease sugar or it'll be dry) and good chocolate flavor. I will definitely make this again!

WACKY CAKE

Mix together in a 9 x 9" pan:
1 1/2 cups flour
3-4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Make three wells; into well #1:
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Well #2:
1 tablespoon vanilla

Well #3:
4 tablespoons melted butter or veg. oil

Pour over the top and mix until combined.
1 cup cold water

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).

I didn't frost it because eating it with ice cream!

okra & sausage from Ms. Virginia

I gave a basket of okra to my neighbor and she exclaimed, "Oh, good! I have some smoked sausage that I'll cook this with and it'll be so good."

Oh, how do you do that Ms. Virginia? (and actually the smoked sausage is from yesterday - I was there for that conversation when a young woman on her lunch break from work dropped off the smoked sausage for her uncle who had just turned the corner - literally - so told Virginia she could have it. I love my neighborhood!)

Clean the okra , dry it, chop it with a sharp knife ["How thin do you slice it? I heard it gets too slimy if it's too thin"; "The slimy doesn't bother me, and if it's too slimy you can add just a tiny bit of vinegar - and the sharp knife sure helps")

Fry it with some onion and garlic, maybe some bell pepper [I'm thinking of the trinity, but she didn't mention celery]

Cook that sausage in with it [I didn't ask, but probably over rice] [I just transcribed an interview with the author of Gumbo Tales who said: "I find this to be an amazing sausage town. It’s one of my favorite things about it. Poor vegetarians"]

Add some chicken breasts in to make a meal of it all.

***
So simple, so flavorful, so New Orleans. Sometimes I look at okra and think, "Oh golly, this will be a process" - a roux, a stew, or pickling. (None of which is really a terrible process at all but sometimes I'm just tired when I see 20 pods of okra.) But cooking it down and "smothering" with it is always fantastic.

Virginia is the one who told me about blueberry dumplings which I will try for sure next year. She describes things really well, is a fantastic source of knowledge, and generous with said knowledge.

lentils with greens and preserved lemons

This name needs a snazzy title, but I'm better at cooking than title-making.

From here. (An adaptation of an adaptation of an adaptation of Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Cooking, this is one of my staples until the preserved lemons run out.)

1 turkey kielbasa (or any kind of sausage - it's phenomenal with lamb mergeza)
1 cup brown, black, or French green lentils (washed and picked over)
1 cup sliced onion
oil for frying
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (or other herbs)
greens: spinach, kale, chard, etc. About 10 oz frozen or a pound or so fresh.
1-2 medium Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped rind of preserved lemons (2 quarters)* (see below)

In a frying pan, brown the sausage (use oil if necessary). Add the onion and saute, then the garlic and cilantro, and the lentils. Saute them a bit. Add the potatoes and enough liquid to cover (water or stock or potlikker). Bring to a boil again. Add the chopped greens now or later, depending on how cooked you want them.

Bring to the boil, lower the heat, and cook at the simmer for about 45 minutes hour. Stir in the chopped preserved lemons and season.

***
Like most things I cook, the proportions are highly variable - depending on how much green, lentils, etc. you want. Everything can be adjusted to taste, how many servings you want, how soupy, etc.

I really like the taste of food itself and that's why despite being a major herb/spice connoisseur, I don't like masking tastes with sauces and other flavors. The preserved lemons here are a special taste all their own, and the sausage adds a nice depth, and the greens just a hint of bitter and the lentils add great texture and flavor too.

***

Preserved lemons: When life gives you lemons, make preserved lemons! I basically followed these directions and these. I made a quart last December and have really been enjoying them. I guess their refrigerator life is more like six months, but I'll finish them up rather than tossing them, and I look forward to a fresh batch of local lemons this fall/winter!