Frugal Foodie on a British Pound: Poor Man's 'Broth'

One of the most amusing activities among my peers here in the UK is the "what do you call this?" game. Is it a 'sweater' or a 'jumper'? A 'cookie' or a 'biscuit'? Would you like some 'fries' or some 'chips'? Did you watch 'soccer' or 'football'? But until last night, I didn't realize that the word 'soup' had such a specific definition. Trust Wikipedia to help me get down to the bottom of this, apparently there are cultural variations in the use of the word 'broth'. In the United States, cooking schools distinguish the rich liquid of broth by the addition of meat, whereas stocks are just made of the flavors extracted from vegetables and bones. Here in the United Kingdom, broth is a sub-category of soup made from a stock base but with the addition of actual pieces of meat, fish, vegetables, or even grains. In other words, that mushroom barley soup? Broth.

Soups, as I will here on out refer to them, fall into the category of dishes that extends far back into human history. They were easily concocted by combining a melange of ingredients in a pot with water, boiling, seasoning, and serving. The theme could travel if people were migratory, and could vary with geography and culture as the agricultural landscape - and thus available ingredients - shifted. According to this article (and several other cited works), the word broth actually predates soup, which stems from the act of soaking a piece of bread in the flavourful liquid. In all, and regardless of what you call it, soup hails from modest roots and provide as simple and efficient way to dine.

It also can be very economical. After a bit of holiday lavishiness (extending into a quick southern holiday this week...), it is definitely time to return to a bit more austerity. So, my first reaction was to fall back on cheap staples like cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and barley for filling meals. And, so I drew on milennia of experience and took a tip from the soup family. Instead of purchasing vegetable stock and then making a soup, the cooking of the vegetables simultaneously serves this function (if you are willing to fish out some inedibles, you can add carrot tops and fennel fronds for extra flavor). The beauty of this, particularly in starving student land, is it's easy, versatile, and inexpensive. Here's to...

Poor Man's Soup (serves 2)

1/2 medium cabbage, coarse chop (I used savoy, but red would also be nice)

2 medium salad potatoes, quartered (the kind that holds form when boiled)

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, halved

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 medium sweet potato, chopped (optional)

1 small fennel bulb, quartered (optional)

1 cup winter squash, cubed (optional)

1/2 cup pearled barley

1/2 cup lentils (optional)

4-6 cups water (depending on how much veg you put in)

Splash of olive oil

Salt, pepper, herbs (can put whatever fresh you have on hand in a little cheese cloth sachet and let it simmer) to taste

1. Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium-large sauce pan. Add onion and sautee until basically translucent. Add all the vegetables and cook another couple of minutes.

2. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, adding barley and lentils (and herb pouch, if using). Continue to cook on a simmer for another 30 minutes or so.

3. Check to see if potatoes and barley are cooked adequately before serving. Feel free to pour over a slice of bread for the full effect.

What's Cooking? La Caponata alla Siciliana

You may have been wondering where I wandered off to the past few weeks (or perhaps not, and are just excited there is a recipe on this page). Well let me tell you, it was nowhere near the hot and humid swamp DC becomes during the summer. I was across the Pond basking under the Sicilian sun. Now, I notice that when I travel and try local cuisine, I often gravitate towards the simple, vegetable melanges that would likely be consumed in humbler homes. Luckily, on the agriculturally-dominant southern Italian island, these are not hard to come by.

Sicily has its own vibe (and cuisine), distinct from mainland Italy, with influences from across the Mediterranean region. Caponata, which is now considered a quintessential Sicilian antipasto (or appetizer/side), likely has roots in Spain and came into being during the early 18th century. Eggplant forms the basis for all traditional varieties of this dish, which is probably a product of Arabic influences and introduced from India. Regardless, this slightly sweet, slightly tart stew (or relish) can be a hearty meal for any vegetarian traipsing around Sicily.

Caponata alla Sicilian (modified from Whole Foods)

2 large eggplants, chopped 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 bulb + leaves fresh garlic, minced 

1 large zucchini, cut into cubes

1 cup celery, diced 

14 oz canned Roma tomatoes or fresh chopped 

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained 

1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar 

2 tbs honey or agave

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes 

1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded

1/4 teaspoon sea salt + additional for eggplant

1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

 1/2 cup green Sicilian olives, pitted and chopped 

1. Place eggplant in a large bowl and toss liberally with salt. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss chopped eggplant with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a baking dish. Cook eggplant for about 25 minutes or until flesh starts to melt.

2. While the eggplant is sizzling in the oven, heat rest of oil in a large, deep skillet on medium-high heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes until translucent, and then add in garlic, celery, and zucchini. Take off heat after another 5-10 minutes.

3. Once eggplant is done, add to skillet with tomatoes, cooking another 5 minutes or so. Follow with capers, raisins, vinegar, honey, basil, and chili flakes, keeping on medium heat until everything is tender. Finish with pine nuts and olives and serve warm, or allow to cool and refrigerate overnight. 

4. Serve with crusty bread and a vibrantly green salad!

See more amazingly tasty recipes on Wellness Weekends...I'm back! 

What's Cooking? Spicing Things Up

Spices have long had a certain mystique to them. The dried seeds, roots, bark, or fruits of a plant have been used for thousands of years to add flavor, color, and complexity to culinary concoctions. Herbs and spices were sought for medicinal purposes, to cure the bad humors. Used in religious ceremonies and for preservation or embalming, spices made their mark in the historical record. Movement throughout much of the ancient world was due in large part to trade of spices. And during the middle ages, these coveted commodities fetched a grand price on the European market. They inspired conflict and war, and spurred on exploration and an age of discovery around the globe. It's interesting to consider that the now commonplace cinnamon or pepper were once treasured status symbols of civilization.

What I find fascinating about spices, though, is why they have such potent flavors and medicinal properties. According to a Cornell study now a decade and a half old, found that chemical compounds in common spices act as anti-bacterial agents. Not surprisingly, those same chemicals are what ward off pests that threaten the plant's survival. And if you are a proponent of cultural evolution, you can see how taste might be influenced, and more likely to survive to the next generation, in circumstances where cooking used a lot of spice to kill of bacteria in food. In Ayurvedic tradition, herbs and spices are also noted for their impact on digestion and properties that affect the constitution (such as heating and drying). Ginger, cumin, and turmeric all support strong digestion, and pepper and garlic have powerful antibacterial properties.

Good Health Curried Peas

1/2 onion

1/2 shallot

1 tsp mustard seed

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 cup split peas (soaked overnight)

3 cups vegetable stock (or water in a pinch)

1 carrot, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 sweet potato, cubed

1 cup kale, chopped (optional)

2 tsp salt, to taste

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp curry powder (or additional turmeric, cumin, cayenne,

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne chili pepper

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1. Heat oils in a sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion and shallot, with mustard seed, until translucent, about 5 minutes, and then add garlic.

2. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Add split peas and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Continue to cook another 10 minutes with carrot, parsnip, and sweet potato. 

3. Conclude by adding in the array of spices, adjusting accordingly for your taste, but don't be shy! Allow to simmer another 15-20 minutes. Serve in a bowl as soup, or reduce the amount of liquid by 3/4 cup and serve with rice.

Mmm, tasty and fortifying! Find more culinary marvels on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Wellness Weekends.

Photo credits: Riyaad Minty (top); Colin Houston (bottom)

Best of MMM: New Year, Empty Fridge

Happy last day of 2012. I thought I would end a year as it began, with the tasty winter veggie curry recipe that started out my 2012. Happy Old Year, and see you in 2013!

First of all, happy 2012! To a fantastic 363 days that stand ahead of us. You were probably expecting some new produce item or an elaborate meal concocted for New Year's Eve. However, after a busy week and a bare bones farmers market this morning, I have been left with a pretty darn unexciting refrigerator.

I have been waiting for my chance to make a coconut milk curry, and working from home today provided the perfect opportunity! So I rummaged through the fridge for whatever had been left from last week's produce exploits (or rather, the week before...), in order to make a warming dish for cold winter night. Though, it has been unseasonably warm here this weekend...cherry blossoms, anyone?

Kitchen Sink Curry

1/2 medium butternut (or other winter) squash, cubed (bite-sized)

1 cup cauliflower, cubed

1 carrot, chopped

1 apple, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup lite coconut milk

1/4 cup plain soy or almond milk

1 tbs curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2-1 tsp salt

1 cup cooked mung beans

Olive oil for sauteing and roasting

1. Roast cubed squash in a greased glass dish at 400F for about 30 minutes, until soft.

2. Meanwhile, cook onions in an oiled skillet, until translucent. Add garlic, carrot, and cauliflower. Continue to cook until carrot just tender.

3. Add milks, spices and salt to taste, squash, and mung beans. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, but that let sit for another 30 or so to let the flavor meld! Perhaps it will be even better tomorrow...

This puppy is sneaking into the first Wellness Weekend of the year!

What's Cooking? Casado Vegetariano

Yesterday I landed back in the States, after an early flight from San Jose, Costa Rica. It's been a whirlwind tour - travelling to twelve different cities and towns, learning about coffee production in the Central Valley, working on my surf skills on the Pacific Coast, and traipsing around a cloud forest up north. While there was loads more to do, it was a pretty good intro to the country. And while I greatly enjoyed all of the outdoors times and even some intellectual stimulation, the food (I guess barring coffee...) was not the highlight of the trip. Yes, bananas and mangos are ubiquitous and do taste significantly better than in the States, but there is a definite inclination toward meat, cheese, and fried food. 

During my two weeks traveling in the country, I subsisted primarily off of fresh tropical fruits - lots of bananas, mangos, some starfruit, pineapple, and lychee - and vegetarian casados. Casado refers to a typical Costa Rican meal consisting of rice, black beans, fried plantains, green salad, tortilla, and perhaps a meat of some sort. This is the country's classic fare and can be found at just about any Soda or diner. It also literally means "married," and is what would be served in a Tico's home. Well, on the last J and I were in Costa Rica, at a hostel in Monte Verde, we decided to go all out and concoct our own vegetarian casado. Left over from our travels were some crumbs of corn tortillas, dried black beans, and some mini bananas that just didn't seem to want to ripen! With an onion, some garlic, an avocado, squash, and a good deal of oil, we concocted a pretty fabulous meal.

Frijoles Refritos

3/4 cup black beans, dry, soaked overnight, and cooked until tender (or 1 can)

1 tbs mild flavor oil, like canola

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Water to consistency (1 - 1 1/2 cups)

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Throw in the garlic, beans, and about 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and then allow to cook on a simmer.

3. Continue to add water as it boils away or is absorbed. It should take about 30-45 minutes to reach a state where it can easily be mashed. Cook longer for a smoother consistency.

Serve with rice or (homemade!) tortilla chips, fried green banana or plantain, green salad with avocado, and sauteed chayote squash (especially good cooked in a tomato sauce). Pura vida!

Check out more tasty delights at Wellness Weekends. Oh, did I mention that it's my birthday today? :) Don't worry, we'll celebrate a bit later...

What's Cooking? ReHashing the Sweet Potato

Why is it that weekends always seem to pass by so quickly? Between darting around to yoga, the market, errands, my kitchen, etc. time just flies. I feel like Friday afternoon was mere hours ago. This sense seems to grow stronger during winter months, when the sky never reaches full light, the gray mornings make waking difficult, and the early sunset induce cravings for curling up on a comfy chair with a novel. For this reason, my dinner tonight served to feed both my desire for comfort and warmth, and the need for something relatively quick and simple to make.

It is a combination of the hearty winter veggie/starch that seriously makes winter survivable (along with winter squashes), and some other warming ingredients. The sweet potato may be a transplant from the warmer southern part of this continent and our sister in the other hemisphere, but it manages to grow well in the northern summer and fall and keep in cool dry places throughout the winter. I tend to think of it as a more nutritious and filling cousin to the standard white potato, but that may be mostly misguided (and I have been known to consume an excess and turn orange). So, without further ado, I present to you the most lovable winter hash!

Sweet Potato Hash
1 medium sweet potato, grated
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 block tempeh
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp agave nectar
1 tbs vegetable stock (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for the skillet

1. Crumble up tempeh and let marinate in the mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, and agave.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Toss sweet potato, onion, and perhaps some of the salt, before adding it to the hot pan. Cook until onion starts to soften.
3. Throw in the tempeh. Pan fry for another 10-15 minutes (about 30 minutes total), until sweet potato is completely cooked and onion is translucent. You may need to add a dash of water or vegetable stock. Serve warm!

Catch this recipe and others on Wellness Weekends!

What's Cooking? A Thanksgiving for Two!

 
I hope that everyone who celebrated had a lovely Thanksgiving. Mine was quiet and relaxing, with just my aunt and her cats! We whipped up a delightful, healthy vegan meal (even though she is not). Personally, I don't understand why Thanksgiving needs to be a 'gorge-fest', so creating a meal that celebrates the spirit of the holiday but is not overwhelming and extravagant is much more my style. So what did we make?

On the menu:

Roasted beet and sweet potato salad with toasted pecans and dried cherries (optional)
Steamed artichokes
Roasted acorn squash wedges with thyme

Quinoa with mushrooms and caramelized onions

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs Italian herbs
1 tsp garlic salt or powder
Olive oil for the pan
salt to taste
1/4 cup pinenuts

1. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Simmer with the quinoa for 30 minutes or so until the grains are cooked-through.
2. In a skillet, sautee the onions in the oil until translucent. Add mushrooms (not an ACD-friendly food, but I fell off the bandwagon this weekend...) and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are soft. Season to taste and you can add the pinenuts at this time.
3. Mix vegetables with quinoa. Serve with roasted squash and the artichokes.

Check out Wellness Weekend for some other tasty holiday eats.

Finding my DC Community

As many of you know, I recently relocated myself and whatever semblance of a life I had to our nation's capitol (yes, I'm from the US, so that's Washington, DC). While many people in a new place find themselves lacking acquaintances, thanks to a large alumni population, I actually have more friends in one place her than anywhere else in the country. That said, sharing a school does not necessarily equate with shared interests. My challenge - besides finding housing and a job - has been to reach beyond college ties and find niches within the DC metro community with shared passions and pursuits.

I have approached this a few ways: volunteering at my yoga studio gets me my zen/flexible/athletic crowd; working at the farmers market gets me my down-to-earth, produce-loving crew; hanging out with Stanford peeps get me some intellectually stimulation (and school-spirit); but I was still missing a group of people who truly understood my food blogging tendencies. Now I've found a way to fill that niche: the DC Food Blogger Community!

Tonight I went to my first DC Food Blogger happy hour at Northside Social in Arlington. Very cute little cafe/wine bar, slightly pricier but worth the splurge (root beer for me...). Of course the main draw was the people. Unlike in Seattle, where there is a huge food blogging community but very little in-person interaction, all the food bloggers in the DC area apparently know each other. It is so fantastic to bring this pastime out of cyber-world, going back to what it is all about - cooking and eating ... in real life. Well, I enjoyed myself immensely and, needless to say, stayed much later than intended.

You're probably thinking, "ok, so if this is what you were going to write about, why on Earth tantalize us with photos of pears and kale?" Well, after prying myself away from the dwindling contingent of foodies, I couldn't very well retire for the evening without making myself dinner of sorts. This is one of my favorite autumn fall-backs (like daylight savings this weekend...haha).

Caramelized Pear and Kale Salad (feed two as a side dish, or one hungry veg)

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 small pear, sliced

1/2 bunch of kale, coarsely chopped (would probably be good with lacinato or curly red)

splash of olive oil

1 tbs white balsamic vinegar (from TJ's, slightly less acidic than your standard balsamic)

small handful toasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

1. Heat oil in a skillet, add onions, and saute until they start to become translucent.

2. Add sliced pears and continue to saute, letting the pear's sugars start to caramelize.

3. Throw in the kale stems (if you are not averse to them), and splash with the balsamic.

4. Finally, toss the kale leaves and less simmer for a few minutes, turning every now and then. Don't cook too long, just long enough so leaves become a little tender and are bright green.

5. Unload into a bowl. Top with some sunflower seeds. Enjoy! Simple as that!

Now I will leave you with a happy stomach and a warm-fuzzy feeling. I still miss a lot about Seattle, but I think living in DC for a while be quite an exciting little adventure!

Produce of the Week: Walla Wallas

All winter long you pulled the dry-skinner bulbs from your closet or root cellar. Onions are one of the amazing veggies that stores very well in cool, dry places. As such, we often take them for granted. But this time of year we are bestowed a particular treat - sweet Walla Walla onions! Ok, so their main season is June to September, but young white bulbs are starting to appear at the farmer's market.

At this stage, onions are pretty mild, and the greens are lovely sauteed. I love to caramelize these puppies until they are tender and sweet.

Baby Walla Walla Onion Tart

Crust

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup water

1 tsp salt

1. Mix all ingredients together. Add more liquid or cornmeal to obtain a pasty dough.

2. Press into a medium-ish tart pan.

Filling

3 young walla walla onions, sliced

1 clove garlic

1/2 container firm tofu

handful arugula or other green

salt to taste

1. Sautee 2 of the onions and garlic in a skillet oiled with a little olive oil or spray. They don't have to be fully caramelized.

2. Coarsely puree tofu, salt, and sautee mixture.

3. Mix in salt and greens. Fill tart crust. Top with last sliced onion.

4. Bake on 350F for 20-35 minutes until set and onions soft and starting to brown.

-or -

1. Layer slices of tofu and onion, garlic, and arugula. Bake as above.

There are so many things you can do with young onions. Try brushing them with olive oil and sticking them on the grill!

Make a beet and onion salad. Sub in a few full young onions for the large in this cornmeal cake recipe. This is a sweet tofu omelet in which you can use some of that basil happily growing in your window sill (since we've determined it's too cold outside for this herb). Make a delicious panzanella salad with these onions instead of leeks. So versatile; so delicious. Enjoy the spring, enjoy the onions!

Mi Piace la Pizza Bianca!

This month’s You Want Pies With That challenge is none other than Pizza Pie! Because I am not a big pizza eater – cheese is not on the menu and soy substitutes don’t appeal – I decided to take some inspiration from the country in both our ancestry.

Over the summer I spent a month and a half wandering around Italia. While I devoted much of my appetite (and daily budget) to gelato, I was pleasantly surprised to find cheese-less pizza so easy to come by. While your classic cheesy and meaty slices were readily available, pizza bianca and pizza rosa (essentially plain and marinara-smothered focaccia) could also be purchased by the gram.

Many a lunch in Rome consisted of this golden bread accompanied by zucchini e pomodoro. I really miss the beautiful Italian countryside, the laid-back attitude of the people, and the summer bounty of produce on the farm at which I volunteered. But the best crisp, olive-oil-brushed pizza I have eaten is not quite 6,500 miles away. Serious Pie in the heart of Seattle serves up salt-crusted pizzas baked to perfection in a classic wood-fueled oven.

While I may not have duplicated this delight (lacking in critical components like a 600F and a pizza stone), I did attempt to mimic the flavorful and delicate crust as best I could. I also wanted to embrace the same appreciation for seasonal produce that I experienced on the farm, and that the Italians in general seem to have in great supply. This meant a farmers market excursion, and glorious young spring Walla Wallas and wonderous asparagus!

OK, I won't keep you waiting any longer. I've prepared two scrumptious pizzas based upon a focaccia crust. Note, this is not for the faint of heart. Like a true Italian (ok, half, but still…), I’ve used olive oil liberally – but it is quite necessary to obtain the lovely glow and crunch outer shell.

Focaccia Base

30 g sourdough start (100% saturation)

2 g dry active yeast

150 g warm water

50 g garbanzo bean flour

200 g all-purpose or white whole wheat flour

2 tbs olive oil

5 g salt

1. Mix started, 50 g warm water, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly (yeast “activated”).

2. Combine with flours, olive oil, and salt. Mix, adding water until the dough comes together and is only slightly sticky (add more flour if necessary).

3. Let rise (lievito) for 1.5 hours in a warm-ish area (I like my microwave).

4. Follow steps below.

Pizza Bianca di Cipollini e Aglio

3 cloves garlic, sliced

6 baby walla walla onions, slices

3+ tbs olive oil

Salt, kosher flaked or coarse sea, to taste

Pizza Bianca con Asparagi e Limone

4-6 stems asparagus, halved and chopped

Zest of one lemon (reserve ¼ to garnish after baked)

3+ tbs olive oil (lemon scented would be lovely)

Salt, to taste

1. Divide dough between two well-oiled round pans. Flatten into the pans.

2. Brush liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

3. Add toppings. Brush again with olive oil.

4. Let ‘rest’ in your warm place (above oven while preheating?) for 15-30 minutes.

5. Bake at 425F for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden.

Buon Appetito!