oh what a beautiful morning!

All the makings of a crappy day: Cold. Rain. Ate cookies for breakfast from last night's cookie exchange.

And yet, the charms of New Orleans are too seductive for that miserable nonsense. I started at the Farmers Market and it was amazing. I got strawberries from Pontchatoula. Strawberries in DECEMBER! I love Louisiana! And tomatoes (he grows in the greenhouse and promised me they would thrill me beyond all reason). And acorn squash and romaine lettuce and could have gotten beautiful carrots and beets but I was already set. Milk from Smith Creamery ("Would you like a taste of chocolate milk?" Trust me - it's sooooo good.) Cilantro and sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Satsumas and goat ricotta and eggs. Bell peppers and I begged the man to come back next week with his beautiful fennel because I simply couldn't face that challenge on top of everything else I got.

Oh, I just smelled the tomatoes and I think I orgasmed. Breathe deeply and enjoy the bounty. When he said something about "refrigerator" and I said, "You said I should put them in the refrigerator?" he almost snapped and confiscated them from my possession. Soul, no. Never, ever put tomatoes in the refrigerator. And I was thinking of something lovely with the strawberries for Monday dinner but they will not last that long because they are so aromatic and inviting.

Then I went to La Boulangerie and picked up a couple of baguettes for bruschette (or probably crostini since they're narrow). They have such wonderful baked goods and staff with French accents.

Then on to Whole Foods where I appreciate the attempted help of the staff but they don't know anything compared to the customers. In the wine aisle, a woman had six children with her and they appeared to not all be hers because the girls (all under twelve) were sipping from hot liquids and discussing the relative merits of different brands of wine that they have tried. And checking out, a woman had a small bundle of thyme for cheap which I hadn't seen so she pointed me in the right direction. Because of the dash I didn't have time to ask her what she was doing with 8 pounds of beets. Bummer.

You know how when you're madly deeply in love and seeing that person makes your heart flutter and stomach flip? That's how I feel about New Orleans.

Russian tea cakes

A Christmas classic! I've since heard these powdered sugar-covered shortcakes called other things such as Mexican wedding cakes, and they're probably completely unknown in all foreign lands. But since I grew up in the capital of Russian America, I get to call them Russian tea cakes!

There are many recipes for it but they all are only slightly different. Here's one.

And here's the one I have in my recipe box (makes about 3 dozen):

1 c unsalted butter, softened (you need to let it sit out for hours - don't microwave or other shortcut!)
1/4 c powdered sugar (sift if necessary)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour + 2 Tbsp
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 c chopped toasted walnuts or pecans.

Toast the nuts on an ungreased baking pan for about 8-10 minutes at about 350 degrees (until they smell toasted). Set aside until they cool. Then if you're using a food processor, toss them in with 2 T flour and pulse just about 5 times. Too much and you get nut butter which is not what we want here! (If you're not using a food processor, just chop them finely and add in the 2 T flour with them.)

Mix powdered sugar well into butter (beat for awhile - until butter looks whipped) and add in vanilla. Add salt and 2 c flour (gradually is easier) and stir well (this is when I start using my hands instead of a spoon). Add the nuts and mix well.

Roll into small balls (about 1 1/2" diameter) and bake 10-12 minutes in an oven about 375 (between 350 and 400 is fine). They're done when they start to brown on the edges and smell done.

Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar; let cool and then roll them again.

three bruschette

The farmers market and an early dinner guest inspired this research on bruschetta. All need to made just before serving and eaten immediately - otherwise the bread will be a soggy mess.

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WINTER SQUASH BRUSCHETTA from here (I followed his directions but would change in the future)

(makes about 16 pieces)

1 1/2-lb butternut or acorn squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped to a ½-inch dice (it wasn't easy peeling the acorn squash but it wasn't impossible)
½ multigrain or whole wheat baguette, sliced to 16 ½-inch rounds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh ricotta (goat cheese would be way better)
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
few pinches rosemary (optional) (necessary, and three big sprigs of fresh)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss diced squash pieces in two tablespoons of the oil and optional rosemary and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes (or longer - more like about 50 minutes), rotating or flipping them once midway through cooking. Pieces should be caramelized and crispy in parts but not too crisp. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Line the bread slices in an even layer on a baking tray and bake at 250 degrees for about 5 minutes, until just crisp (or a toaster oven). Remove from tray and let cool completely. (If desired, rub a garlic clove on the bread for a little kick.)

Spread a layer of ricotta on each piece of bread. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of each one, then place a spoonful of the squash on top. Squirt a few drops fresh lemon juice on top of each piece. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil across the tops (I skipped), and serve immediately.

I found it rather bland and I'm hoping a day in the fridge will deepen its flavor. I think it would be great with a chevre rather than the uber-bland ricotta, and maybe some sweetness in the squash to deepen its flavor.

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BEET GREEN BRUSCHETTA inspired by here and here.

• 2 cloves (or so) garlic, minced
• beet greens, chopped (I used the tops of about 8 beets)
• salt & pepper to taste (go light on the salt)
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  
• 1 1/2 T sundried tomatoes, minced
• cheese such as Pecorino
  

Crisp up the bread (I cut at a diagonal, about 1/2-3/4" slices - this would be good on larger bread slices) in a toaster over broiling for about 4 minutes. You don't want to turn it into Melba toast though, so more is not really more.

Heat oil on low and gently saute garlic for a couple of minutes. Then add in the chopped beet greens (no need to dry - the liquid helps them cook) and salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir while cooking over low heat, then put a lid on for a few minutes to let the greens cook. Remove from heat and stir in sundried tomatoes.

Top the bread with the beet green mixture and shave a bit of cheese on top. Return to oven/toaster oven for about 2 minutes just to barely melt up the cheese.

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TOMATO-BASIL BRUSCHETTA, the old standby

• 1 garden-fresh tomato (or more!), chopped and deseeded/liquid removed if there's too much
  
• fresh basil (about 5-6 medium leaves), minced finely
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 T olive oil (or as desired)
• a dash of vinegar or lemon juice.

Mix up and let flavors meld for an hour or so.

Crisp up the bread. Rub garlic along the bread but NOT too much (I was so zealous I can guarantee no vampires will be near me anytime soon). Top with tomato mixture just before serving.

preserved lemons

Meyers lemons only come around once a year, and at the farmers market they call to me so seductively. They're sweet and floral and so yummy - but when I end up with dozens, what am I to do? (though I dreamily do fantasize about the day when I have my own home with my own fruit orchard with at least a couple lemon trees)

First I juice a bunch and freeze in ice cube trays (each cube is about 2 T) - I'm very happy to have fresh-tasting lemon juice throughout the year.

I take the peels of these lemons and freeze them. My thinking is that I could just zest them as needed since they're frozen basically intact. I haven't tried it yet, but it's a to-do and I think it would work fine.

But the OTHER THING - and the purpose of this post - is PRESERVED LEMONS.

Last year I did some internet searching when my lemons were starting to turn and I learned for the first time of these. They're used heavily in Moroccan and Algerian cooking, and so I was game. I made a quart which I have very happily used throughout the year. They taste, I'm told, like capers - however, I really don't like capers but I really liked preserved lemons, so there's a limitation to that theory. But they are pickled and not sweet or sour, and taste extremely different than when fresh.

I got advice from several sources, including here. I just made some more today - two pints, and in the second pint I added a bay leaf, a few cardamom pods, a few pepper corns, a cinnamon stick, and a couple cloves. I thought it would be a fun try but I didn't want a full quart of the seasoned ones.

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Wash some lemons thoroughly (organic is best!). I needed about 3 1/2 lemons for pints and about 8 for a quart - depending on the size.

Put 2 T kosher or sea salt in the bottom of a sterilized jar.

Cut the lemon as if you were going to cut in half through the top, but stop before you actually cut through. Then do the same so it is almost quartered but still attached at the bottom.

Salt heavily inside and outside the lemon.

Squeeze it into the jar - you want juice to come out. (You do NOT, however, want to lemon juice to shoot up all through your kitchen as though a blue whale's blow hole is in your lemons. You know, like I did today. Twice.)

Fill the jar, cramming them in tight, making sure there's lemon juice covering the top (either from these lemons or from extra juice).

I like to cap with the plastic lids Ball makes - the metal will corrode.

Leave the jar out for a few days and turn it upside down every so often. More juice should come from the lemons, but if the lemons aren't covered you can add more juice.

The texture and appearance of the rind will start to change - it's pickling - and after a few days you can put in the fridge. I'm told to not use for a few weeks to allow the process to complete.

It should be fine to keep the jars in the fridge for a year or so - I just make sure there's always lemon juice covering the lemons.

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TO USE:

I use in recipes calling for them (I'll post some later). Take a lemon out, or use just a half, and remove the pulp. Rinse off the salt and then chop it very finely and add in. I think I read somewhere it can get bitter if cooked a long time, so I add near the end.

Preserved lemons have such a unique flavor and couldn't be substituted with anything else - and since I'm a fan of northern African cuisine, they've been a great discovery for me!

roasted chicken & vegetables

Now this just looks darned good - will have to try it soon!

I like carrots and potatoes roasted with the chicken, and I'd like cauliflower ... I wonder if beets would bleed too much? Hmmmm ...

citrus spinach salad

This is always a hit - I love the different tastes and how healthy, yet satisfying and tasty it is!

Citrus Spinach Salad

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
OR
2 cups torn Romaine Lettuce
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (go light)
1 fresh navel orange, peeled and separated into sections
OR
2 blood oranges, peeled and separated into sections
OR
1/2 small can mandarin oranges
2 T toasted pine nuts

Dressing
2 T orange juice
2 T white wine vinegar
3 T olive oil (usually I use less)
2 tsp. honey (or save the juice from the can of mandarins for sweetener)
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Serves 2

Toss spinach, onion, oranges and pine nuts together. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and serve.

(Note: I would double or treble the salad fixins for that amount of dressing)

pita

Here's the recipe I used from my bread cookbook. It's not the greatest, but it works.

2 T dry yeast
2 T sugar (or honey)
2 tsp salt
2 C whole wheat flour
2.5 c very warm water (up to 120 degrees if it's cold in the kitchen)
1/4 c oil or melted butter
another 2 c whole wheat flour
1 cup+ white flour

Make bread with it (put yeast, sugar, salt & some flour together, then add the oil & water to form a sponge [just to make sure the yeast is working well], mix in the rest of the flour, knead, etc.). Let it rise for about an hour (double in bulk). Then divide into 16 pieces and heat the oven to 475 degrees (letting them rest as oven heats).

Roll into rounds (about 3/16" thick, about 6" round) and put on baking sheets sprinkled with corn meal (corn meal only underneath the bread, or it'll burn, smoke, and start the smoke detector). Alternatively, put on parchment paper. I just made a batch (12/24/09) and half of them stuck badly to the pan, which was a real bummer.

Bake about 8 minutes.

They freeze well and are great with hummus! Hm ... and falafel sounds good ...