The Purloined Recipe

From www.101cookbooks.com

This, my friends, is how you want to use that rhubarb you’ve been seeing at the market lately. It’s a syrup, sure, but I’d venture to guess it’s a syrup unlike any you’ve tasted. It has a lot going on, tartness from the rhubarb, tang from fresh lime juice, a backdrop of sweetness that’s anything but shy, and the wildcard finish – rosewater. The resulting syrup is strong, and lovely, and a kiss of it is just what a bowl of yogurt, or glass of soda water needs.

And it really couldn’t be simpler to make. Chop a few stalks of rhubarb, toss with sugar, then let it sit around until everything settles into a cold, sweet stew. Fire up your burner, and simmer until the rhubarb breaks down, then strain out the solids. You’re left with a vibrant rose-hued liquid. When you cook this down with a bit of fresh lime juice you end up with a fragrant, beautiful gem of a syrup. A finishing splash of rosewater is the final surprise – the je ne sais quoi factor.

4 large / 500 g / 1 pound rhubarb stalks, chopped
2 cups / 400 g granulated sugar
2 cups / 240 ml water
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon), or to taste
scant 2 teaspoons rosewater, or to taste
rose petals, optional

Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan. Stir well, and leave for 45 minutes or so (unheated), stirring now and then.

Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, until the rhubarb starts to break down. Carefully strain into a bowl through a of cheesecloth-lined strainer. Transfer to a clean saucepan, stir in the lime juice, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer over medium heat for another 15 minutes or until the syrup has reduced quite a bit and thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Stir in the rosewater a bit at a time, until it is to your liking. Rose water can be quite an assertive flavor, so be judicious to start. It keeps, refrigerated, for a week or so.

Serve over yogurt, in soda water, or drizzled over waffles.

Makes one medium jar of syrup.

Prep time: 45 min – Cook time: 30 min

desserts, rhubarb, sauces

Don’t be put off by the long cooking time–in the end the flavor goes far beyond what’s possible with a cursory blanching.  A few spoonfuls suffice for a serving, or you can use this effectively as a seasoning for rice or lentils.  Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 large bunches chard, about 2 pounds, leaves sliced into 1 inch wide ribbons
1 1/2 cups of the chard stems, trimmed and diced
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 garlic clove pounded with 1 teaspoon salt
Salt and freshly milled pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a wide, heavy pot with a few pinches of salt. Add 1/4 cup water, cover tightly, and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Check once or twice to make sure there’s enough moisture. If anything is sticking, add a few tablespoons of water. When done, taste for salt and season with pepper. The chard should be silky and very fragrant.

cilantro, garlic, onions, side dishes, swiss chard

Adapted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, October/November 2010
Considered by many as Portugal’s national dish, this soups gets its green color from finely sliced kale added to the simmering stockpot for a couple of minutes just before serving. The dish is traditionally prepared with spicy chorizo sausage, but you can substitute another hot sausage or create a lighter dish by omitting the meat.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 spicy sausage, sliced
6 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and diced (I used about 1/2 Japanese salad turnips along w/potatoes.)
10 cups water
1 pound kale leaves, stalks removed, julienned very fine
Cilantro, chopped fine – about 1/4 cup (I added cilantro because I had it fresh and I like it.)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil and add onions and garlic, cook until soft and translucent. In a frying pan, cook the sausage, slice it and set aside. Add the potatoes to the stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and lower the heat, simmering until the potatoes are almost done, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and crush some of the potatoes using a potato masher to thicken the broth. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. Add greens and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and garnish with sausage. Serves 8.

cilantro, garlic, kale, onions, potatoes, soups, turnips

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided
1 cup chopped shallots, divided
3 teaspoons grated lemon peel, divided (or fresh lemon juice)
1 1/2 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds rapini (broccoli raab), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preparation

Melt 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 cup shallots and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in very large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté 2 minutes. Mix in broccoli and 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle with salt. Cover; cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and water evaporates, about 4 minutes. Transfer broccoli to bowl; cover to keep warm.

Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter with remaining shallots and lemon peel in same skillet over high heat; sauté 2 minutes. Add rapini. Sprinkle with salt, cover, and cook until rapini wilts, about 2 minutes. Uncover and sauté until tender, about 1 minute longer. Mix into broccoli. Season with salt and pepper.

broccoli, rapini (broccoli raab), shallots, side dishes

From www.101cookbooks.com

These little open-faced tartines took less than ten minutes to pull together, and ended up being the epitome of spring.

Serves 2-4

Prep time: 5 min – Cook time: 5 min

4 toasted slabs of whole grain bread, rubbed with olive oil and a bit of garlic

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 lb of asparagus stalks, trimmed roughly the length of your bread

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 avocado, pitted and smashed

a couple handfuls of arugula, tossed in a bit of olive oil

a handful of toasted pepitas, or almonds, or sunflower seeds

A few minutes before you want to eat heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add the asparagus, and a pinch of salt and cook for about thirty seconds. Add the garlic and caraway, and cook another thirty seconds, or until the spears are a vibrant green. Remove from heat, and assemble the tartines.

Give each piece of bread a generous slather of mashed avocado. Top that with a bit of arugula, a few asparagus spears, and a generous sprinkling of pepitas or seeds.

appetizers, arugula, asparagus, garlic, sandwiches, side dishes

From www.101cookbooks.com

Serves 4-6

I made a meal of this by introducing a hard boiled egg – on the side. That said, you could chop and sprinkle one over each plate. Or you could work some chopped egg into the dressing. This recipe makes more dressing than you’ll likely use, in part because it’s nice to have a bit of leftover on hand throughout the week.

1 lb / 16 oz / 450 g baby broccoli / broccolini, trimmed, and each stalk halved if you like

3 bunches scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 small serrano chile pepper, deveined, seeded and minced (opt)
1/2 cup / 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
3 big handfuls of big, rustic croutons
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
1 cup / 4 oz / 115 g sliced almonds, toasted
4 – 6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into big chunks

Fill a big pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water well and cook the broccolini briefly, about a minute, or long enough to take a bit of the snap out of the stalks. Drain, run under cold water to stop the cooking, and pat dry with a clean cloth. Set aside.

Combine the scallions, serrano pepper, olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a sizzle, stirring all the while, and remove from heat. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice.

To assemble the salad, just before serving, place the broccolini and croutons in a large serving bowl. Scoop about 1/2 of the green onions into the bowl, allowing most of the oil to drain off. Toss well and continue to add more green onions until everything is coated to your liking. Have a taste at this point to get a sense of whether you need to adjust the seasoning at all – with more salt or lemon juice. Add the almonds and toss, then one last (gentle) toss after adding the mozzarella.

Use the leftover oil (refrigerate) to cook eggs, drizzled over potatoes, drizzled into soup, etc.

broccolini, chiles, scallions

For the Brussel Sprout lovers out there.  And if your not one, maybe this way of cooking them will convert you!

A dozen or so Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tablespoon salt
1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pepper

Wash Brussels sprouts and trim the base. Slice them in two, lengthwise. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large (12 inch) skillet over low heat. Place Brussels sprouts face down in skillet and allow them to cook for 15 – 20 minutes over low heat. The face of the Brussels sprouts will begin to caramelize. They should be a dark brown, but not burned. Once Brussels are nearly caramelized, add the garlic to the pan. Saute and allow the garlic to brown. Add a little water and the salt and pepper. Cover and increase the heat to medium high. Steam until the sprouts are tender, testing by poking with a fork every couple of minutes. When nearly done, remove the lid and let most of the water boil off, stirring occasionally. These can be enjoyed hot or cold as leftovers. They’re great in salads!

brussel sprouts, garlic, side dishes

1 1/2 pounds fresh black-eyed peas, rinsed, drained
8 to 12 ounces bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red and green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1 can (approx. 14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, or chili-seasoned tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

Put rinsed fresh black-eyed peas in a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until softened; add onions, peppers, and celery and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker along with the water. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, or until peas are tender. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking for 1  hour longer.

black eyed peas, garlic, onions, peppers, side dishes, tomatoes

recipe courtesy of Vivek Surti   http://viveksurti.wordpress.com

serves 4

1 lb wild coho salmon

2 T butter

1/2 lemon, sliced

1 cup of fresh black eyed peas (or cooked/drained black eyed peas)

1 inch piece of chorizo, diced

1 red jalapeño chile, minched

1/4 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

fresh parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Portion the fish into 4, 1/4 lb pieces. Season them all with salt and pepper. Get a pan and set it over high heat. Add 1 T of the butter. Sear the salmon on one side for about two minutes until it develops a nice crust. Flip the salmon over and add the remaining 1 T of butter and the lemon slices. Once the fat melts, take your spoon and start basting the top of the salmon for another 3-4 minutes. Coho salmon is not all that thick, so it cooks pretty quickly. A thicker cut, may require longer cooking. Once the salmon is done, let it rest while you prepare the relish.

Heat another pan over medium high heat and add some oil. First, add the chorizo and cook until the oil turns a beautiful brick red color. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeño and sauté until translucent. Add the black eyed peas and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top and sprinkle in some fresh parsley.

To plate the dish, put a little bit of the relish on the plate. Add the salmon on top. Garnish with a parsley sprig and a piece of lemon that has caramelized from your butter baste.

The sauce around the plate is a chive oil.

black eyed peas, chiles, entrees, fish and seafood, garlic, onions

Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

The trick to a great French onion soup is starting with good stock. French onion soup is usually made with beef stock. I’ve made delicious soup with stock from the leftover rib and chine bones of a rib roast. Another important element is the proper caramelization of the onions. Caramelizing onions take at least thirty minutes of slow cooking the onions over medium high heat. The browning, or caramelizing, of the onions brings out the sweetness in them.

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced.
• Olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups of beef stock, chicken stock or a combination of the two (traditionally the soup is made with beef stock)
• 1/2 cup of dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 8 slices of toasted French bread
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere with a little grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30-40 minutes (or longer). Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization.

2. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, vermouth or wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf.

3. To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

garlic, onions, soups, thyme