Fifty Second Friday: Pistachio Pesto

I wouldn't say I have a basil problem; that would imply a certain negative quality. But this time of year, if harvested correctly, the basil plants go crazy. And while you could make endless caprese salads, really the only reasonable use of large quantities of this herb is pesto. Stemming from the Italian pestare meaning to crush, modern pesto is a dish of ground basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil (sometimes cheese) originating from Genoa. According the ever reliable source, Wikipedia, pesto ancestors and basil actually came from different places. The former dates back to ancient Roman times when made with "herbs", whereas the latter immigrated from India (first tomatoes and now basil?)...

Now, most of you have eaten pesto, whether tossed with pasta or spread on some thinly sliced zukes. However, one of the key ingredients, those tasty pignoli, are quite pricey. Saving a few bucks on the nuts, I utilized some extra pistachio (which as also extraordinarily popular in Italy and yet from Asia). Since this is only supposed to take 50 seconds (to read, not write...), visit this previous post for a recipe to follow!

Try this with Choosing Raw's Millet Pesto Summer Salad. Hope to be more on top of things in a few weeks!

My Mizuna

Though spring officially began two weeks ago, the cold weather and rain has made it seem anything but. This changed on Sunday when I bought my first spring salad greens! Mizuna is a slightly pepper mustard green, native to Japan. It is cold-tolerant and enjoys wet weather...perfect to follow April showers. For the first time since fall set in, I've been able to have tasty salads for lunch again! Apples, toasted sunflower seeds, and a light vinaigrette.

The month of April, also plays host to holidays that celebrate the rebirth of spring (among other things): Passover and Easter. The former we will talk about in more detail as I embark on my week of raw dieting starting the 18th. Easter, however, was celebrated today with a traditional Middle Eastern cookie, the pistachio ma'moul. Mine were veganized (and gluten free) and made in a madeleine pan!

Dough

2/3 cup semolina flour (or cornmeal if gluten-free)

1/3 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/3 cup oil

soy milk as needed

1. Whisk oil and sugar until well combined.

2. Fold in flours and gum, adding milk as necessary to form a ball of dough.

3. Refrigerate while making the filling.

Filling

1/3 cup simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 cup pistachios

1. This is really hard...whiz together simple syrup, zest, and pistachios in a food processor until a chunky paste forms. Done.

2. Roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper. Cut out circles, squares, or whatever shape fits your mold, fill with nut glop, and top with a second piece of dough.

3. Back at 350F for 15-20 minutes until edges start to brown.

ENJOY! And check out Spunky Coconut's holiday recipes and roundup (to be posted)

Sing a Song: Attack of the Macs!

Summer has finally arrived! Not that I would wish my life away or anything, but the prospect of summer fruit could compel almost anyone to yearn for July to roll around. Yes, cherry/plum/apricot/raspberry/strawberry season has come, and the bounty has started to emerge. Granted, our cool and damp spring weather has hindered fruit harvest slightly, but I remain optimistic.

One of the fruits I most anticipate is the cherry, preferably dark, firm Bings. Last spring, I had the great fortune of living within easy access of a cherry tree, although by this time in the Bay Area the fruit would be long gone! But here in the PNW, cherries are ripe for the picking.

So this month, Mactweets challenged us to take inspiration from a song when concocting our little almond cookie sandwiches. As a devoted Broadway musical fan, a good portion of my iTunes selection consists of showtunes. During the fall of 2008, I had the great fortune to attend Spring Awakening in San Francisco. Not only was the performance marvelous, but in the preceding weeks leading up to the show I managed to thoroughly addict myself to the soundtrack. It seemed perfectly appropriate to listen to the final song, The Song of Purple Summer, while baking macarons for this challenge.

In the spirit of the song and the recent transition from spring to summer, my sister and I celebrated her return from London by creating Purple Summer macarons. Yes, these little green pistachio gems are filled with a deep amethyst cherry preserve. While slightly undercooked (I admit to being impatient!), the flavors really did complement each other nicely. I highly recommend David Lebovitz's guidelines for No Recipe Cherry Jam to fill your macs!

A Tasty Teaser

While I will save the profound statements and elegant speech (slight exaggeration) for another night, I wanted to squeeze in a word or two on my most recent baking expedition. I have been working on a not-so-traditional carrot cake recipe for the past month. Ok, I’ve been THINKING about a carrot cake for the past month and recently actually put it to the test. It is now venturing out into the wide world, making its inelegant debut tomorrow at a Memorial Day BBQ, and competing in the Gold Medal Flour Scratch Baking contest.

As such, I will wait to share the recipe for my creation until I know the outcome of this competition. I so wish my presentation skills had been up to snuff tonight (and my coconut cream a little more solid) so that my photos would tantalize and excite you, my readers. Alas, these humble images are but a sorry representation of this decadent dessert. Filled with pistachios, golden raisins, and plenty of carrots, this cardamom-kissed cake definitely delivered.

How to BEET the April Showers Blues

Roasting beets in the oven is an important step to both these recipes!

I know not too long ago I was lamenting the imminent drought triggered by the PNW's unusually pleasant and dry winter. Well, happy as I am that I don't have to water the plants and that the snowpack in the mountains is growing, I miss the sunny and relatively warm weather! As a means of escape, I usually turn to food. This turn around, the Sweet or Savory (SOS) Kitchen Challenge popped onto my radar. And what better way to hide from the winter-like spring? Make some nice comforting food with this month's ingredient: BEETS!

*UPDATE 4/26* Check out the Beet Roundup for other fun and creative concoctions!

While beets have definitely had their share of the spotlight on my blog, they really deserve all the attention. I tried two versions of a roasted beet salad this time. *GASP* No desserts??? No chocolate beet cake or crazy golden beet pie? I admit it, I stuck with savory!

Mmm ... the toasting pistachio aroma!

My first recipe is not my own, but the dish has haunted my dreams for a year. Ever since one of the residents of my Co-Op last year made it for his head cook, these Beets with Pistachio Butter have been begging for an encore. The only problem is that I forgot to ask for the recipe! Well, it seems like the only tried-and-true PB and B recipe comes out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It's posted on a number of blogs, so I will just direct you to the recipe so that I can devote my space to enlightening you on my other salad. While this dish didn't live up to its Co-Op counterpart, the pistachio butter was delightful and roasted beets are always pleasing!

A powerful food processor is a must to avoid lumpy/grainy pistachio butter.

But I had leftover beets. While frolicking between raindrops in my backyard, I noticed that the chives really needed a haircut! I normally like my salads naked, but ok, ok, beet salad with a chivey dressing it is.

Rachel Sized Beet Salad with Chivey Dressing

2 medium red beets

1 clove garlic

1/2 tbs finely chopped chives

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

salt to taste

1. Dice beets and roast in an oiled and covered pan at 375F. Takes about 30 minutes until tender. Put the garlic clove in dowsed with a little oil for last 10 or 15 minutes.

2. Mix oil, vinegar, chives, salt, and smashed roasted garlic.

3. Toss with beets. Beware, this is not a task to undertake wearing white garments!

Who knew that beets + chives = magic?