Closing out Hanukkah with Heirloom Potato Kale Latkes

As Hanukkah comes to a close, I wanted to leave you with a fun variation for latkes for the last night, which is tomorrow.  Starting with the original latkes, which are simply made of potato and egg, I thought to change things up a bit tonight and created this fun heirloom potato and kale variety.

Inspired by a recipe I saw in Food Republic, I decided to make kale one of the star ingredients.  I can't say I followed the Food Republic recipe at all, but it provided some good tips on how to prepare the kale.  Here's my recipe, which I think is a lot easier and faster.  Enjoy on the last night of Hanukkah!

Heirloom Potato Kale Latkes 

Ingredients (serves 2)

5-7 small to medium heirloom potatoes (can include all different colors)

3 cups of kale, chopped fine with the stems removed

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Good quality sour cream and unsweetened apple sauce for topping

Directions:

Combine the potato with the kale.  Add egg until the batter sticks together and then season with salt and pepper.

Fry in a hot skillet until browned on both sides.  Eat fresh and top with apple sauce and sour cream, if desired. 

Homemade Gouda Bread Twists

As part of my getting immersed in the Portland food scene, I've joined a foodie meet-up group, which has helped me meet other like-minded foodies.  Our first get-together was just a few weeks ago at Pairings wine shop in the North East and it was a wonderful experience.  Since the event was technically a potluck, everyone had to bring a dish that would pair well with the Beaujolais wine that was to be tasted.

I decided to make my own homemade breadsticks, filled with smoked gouda cheese, fresh rosemary and walnuts.  The recipe I used actually called for blue cheese, but since I already had the gouda in my fridge, I decided to use of my existing ingredients.  It was a good choice too, as it made the flavors of the wine pop more and overall it was a good bite-sized snack that seemed to be a general crowd pleaser.  

For the dough, I used store bought puff pastry, which worked well.  The trick is to let it soften a little so it's easier to roll out, to avoid any breakage.  Feel free to substitute the cheese of your choice and eliminate the nuts if you so wish.  I think they added some nice toothsomeness to this chic snack.

Homemade cheese twist recipe, courtesy of Whole Foods.

New Gluten Free Quinoa Cakes

While I'm still dabbling in my Gluten Free diet (I've stopped it just in time for Valentine's Day), I wanted to share a fun and simple recipe I created for quinoa cakes.

Having leftover red quinoa from a side dish I made, as well as some leftover ground sausage with veggies, I decided to mix the two together, add some egg as binder and pan fry it up. The result was a deliciously golden quinoa patty (almost like a croquette) with a crispy outside and a warm, hearty inside.  Here's the simple recipe - feel free to substitute with or without the protein of your choice.

Fooditka's Quinoa Cakes (serves 2)

Ingredients:
Leftover red or white cooked quinoa (1 - 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup, ground chicken or turkey sausage (cook with veggies such as onions and pepper to create great aromatics)
1 egg
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together and pan fry in a non stick skillet for about 5 minutes/side.  Make sure to keep a close eye, as to not burn the your quinoa cakes.  Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste (as needed).  Serve cakes with a sweet or spicy sauce or chutney.  I enjoyed mine with a spicy BBQ sauce.

Happy gluten-free eating!

Hurricane Sandy Recipe Guide

Image, courtesy of Kimberly Conon

Ok...so you're stuck inside in this crazy hurricane we're having.  What to do? No...there's no way that I'm encouraging you to go out in this monstrosity, but if you are fully stocked (like my friend Kimberly - see her pantry in the above pic), you can certainly do some cooking.

Without further ado, I've put together a short list of Hurricane friendly foods that will last you for days and comfort you through this storm.  Hope you enjoy them with your loved ones, and if you have any recipes you'd like to share with me, I'm all ears.

Cozy Lamb Apricot Stew - If you have lamb, chicken, beef or any other protein, this is the perfect thing to enjoy and just let cook for a couple of hours.  It keeps well in the freezer and you can enjoy it on its own, with rice, potatoes or any other starch.

Dan's Turkey Meatloaf - Have ground turkey, chicken or beef on hand? This is a great way to use it, and make sure you incorporate tons of fresh veggies such as onions, peppers, garlic and whatever else you like.  A smokey BBQ sauce is a nice accompaniment.  

My Italian Gnocchi Bake - This dish is really easy and quick to make if you have some pre-made or frozen gnocchi in the house, a few different cheeses including ricotta and mozzarella and some marinara too.  If you have pesto already made, that'll do as well.

Chilaquiles - Do you love brunch the Mexican way?  An easy thing to put together is a mixture of fried tortillas, eggs, spicy salsa and your favorite veggies.  There's two ways to do it - to keep the tortillas slightly crispy, like my fried Jess does, or to make 'em all the way soft; the choice is yours.

Minty Pea Soup - Even though this is technically a summer recipe, I think a nice warm soup would be great right about now.  It keeps well in the freezer, and you can make it heartier by tearing big, chunky pieces of pumpernickel bread inside.  Watch them soak up into the broth and just devour.

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream

For my birthday this year, some dear family friends got me an ice cream maker and I finally used it this week. I’ve still got a ton of apples left from apple picking so I searched for an apple ice cream recipe and found this one from Chez Panisse. It’s perfect timing- almost exactly a year ago, on a trip to San Francisco, my friends and I had dinner at Alice Waters’ mecca of fresh, locally-grown cuisine. It was delicious, to say the least! This recipe, slightly modified from Lindsey Shere’s Chez Panisse Desserts is easy and well worth the whipping cream calories.

You’ll need an ice cream maker that holds at least 1 1/2 quarts and a large nonreactive saucepan (stainless steel, glass, or ceramic). Be sure to have containers to hold your finished product, too!

Options:
I added in 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger. If you want a more pure apple flavor, skip this addition, as the ginger can be a little overpowering.

Shere recommends using Gravenstein or McIntosh apples. I’m not sure which I used, but I think one was Fuji and one was a much tarter red apple. It’s your choice.

After the mixture is churned, you can also add a few drops of calvados (apple brandy).

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus about 2 hours to chill

Churn Time: 25-30 minutes

Makes 1 generous quart

- 1 1/2 pounds apples (4-5 medium apples)

- 3 Tbsp water

- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

- 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

- 1 2/3 cups whipping cream (not heavy cream)

- 3 egg yolks

- Vanilla extract

1. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Slice thin into a non-reactive saucepan and the water and cinnamon. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Mash with a potato masher or pureé in a blender or food processor. Measure out 1 2/3 cups and stir the sugar into it. If you have extra apple pureé, reserve it for another use.
3. Heat the cream over medium heat until very warm. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl, then slowly add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream, stirring constantly.
4. Return the egg mixture to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the spoon, about 3 minutes.
5. Strain into a container and stir in to the apple pureé. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Taste the mixture and flavor with a few drops of vanilla extract. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake

We’re fully into apple picking season and a few friends and I harvested our bounty at Terhune Orchards in Dutchess County (761 North Avenue, Salt Point NY, 12578. Phone 845-266-3389). Our adventure was part of the MTA’s One Day Getaway Fall Harvest Wine, Cheese, & Apple Picking weekends. The last one is this coming weekend, but you can use the itinerary as a guide for your own trip.

When I went on the same tour two years ago, I got recipe cards from Dutchess County Tourism which included my now-annual-favorite -- an Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe from The Culinary Institute of America.

You’ll need a 9-inch square baking dish. I’ve been using an 8-inch dish, which requires a baking time of 60 minutes and remember to remove any oven racks above the cake, because it will rise and could get messy (lesson learned the hard way!).

Options:

- I made this with Granny Smith apples, but use whatever you like. Remember that firmer apples are best for baking.

- I’ve also made this without eggs, instead substituting 3 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 9 Tbsp water. Let the mixture sit a few minutes before adding it to the recipe so it combines together. When you’re adding it to the butter and sugar, just pour it in slowly in thirds.

- I only used about 1 cup of sugar for the whole recipe, about 3/4 in the batter and 1/4 to sprinkle on top.

- You can substitute a normal-sized container of Greek yogurt if you don’t want to use sour cream. This way you’re not stuck with leftover sour cream!

Makes 16 servings

- 3 cups all-purpose flour

- 3 tsp ground cinnamon

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3 cups peeled, sliced apples (~3 medium)

- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

- 3 eggs

- 1 1/4 cups sugar

- 1/2 cup sour cream OR 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease and flour a 9" or 8" baking dish.

2. Sift together the flour, 2 tsp cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Finely chop half the apples and leave the other half sliced.

4. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together on medium speed until very light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to combine after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Add the chopped apples and sour cream (or yogurt) and stir until combined.

5. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients. Add the sliced apples and fold them into the batter gently, just until the slices are coated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer.

6. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until tester comes out clean and the edges shrink from the sides of the pan.

Spinach Fettucine with Corn Pesto

Last night’s Emmy Awards meant celebrating great television (Yay, Modern Family!) and, for me, hosting my friends for a potluck dinner. Fresh corn is still in season and I grabbed a few ears from the Union Square Greenmarket for this nontraditional pesto recipe from bon appétit magazine. I modified the original to take out the meat and skip the pine nut toasting. You can prep the pesto ahead of time if you need to keep the counter clear of a hulking food processor, like I did.

Makes 4 servings
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp coarse sea salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces spinach fettuccine
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large nonstick skillet. When the oil is hot, add corn, garlic, salt, and pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve.

Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves.

Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

Soba Noodle Soup with Salmon, Shiitakes, and Peas

I love Asian soup noodles, but thought they’d be too complicated to make on my own. When a Japanese food-loving friend requested a light, healthy meal for our catch up dinner the other night, I picked up an advanced copy of The Very Best of Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman (Rodale, on sale August 31) and immediately took to this recipe. (Full disclosure: I work for the publishing company). Even without my affiliation, I’ve always found Recipes for Health, the popular New York Times recipe column, to be a great resource for healthy, tasty meals.

The freshness and pop of the peas is a great complement to the earthy, chewy mushrooms. My friend commented that the salmon was cooked perfectly- and all I had to do was drop it in and put on the lid!

Makes 4 servings
- 1 oz (about 10) dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 cups kombu dashi stock, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- Soy sauce or salt
- 1 pound green peas- 6 oz Japanese soba noodles, cooked, and tossed with 2 tsp Asian sesame oil or canola oil (these can be cooked ahead of time, just toss them with oil and refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 days)
- 12-16 oz salmon fillet without skin, trimmed of fat, and cut into 4 equal pieces
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts kept separate

Equipment:
- Stock pot
- Cheesecloth
- Sieve
- Deep soup bowls for serving

1. Place dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Bring the stock to a simmer in a soup pot. Pour the hot stock over the mushrooms and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over the soup pot. Squeeze the mushrooms over the sieve. Slice the mushroom caps and discard the hard stems. Set aside.

2. Return the stock in the soup pot to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding soy sauce or salt as desired. Add the peas and simmer 5 minutes. If the noodles have been refrigerated, warm them by placing them in a sieve and dipping the sieve into the simmering broth. Distribute the noodles among 4 deep soup bowls.

3. Add the mushrooms, salmon, and light parts of the scallions to the simmering stock. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes without removing the cover. The salmon should be just cooked through. Leave for another 5 minutes if it is not.

4. Place a piece of salmon on top of the noodles in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, taking care to distribute the peas, mushrooms, and scallions evenly. Sprinkle on the dark green part of the scallions and serve.

Call me Martha - Banana and walnut and chocolate chunk, oh my!

As a Borders Rewards Club member, I'm sent a few emails a week with in-store coupons attached. Over Memorial Day weekend I got one for 40% off so I decided to head over to Borders, which resulted in my purchase of the Martha Stewart "Cookies" book. I found it difficult to decide on which cookie I should try out first, but in the end, the banana-walnut chocolate chunk cookies prevailed. The decision was a wise one--this cookie takes on the taste and texture of a banana bread (with chocolate chips), but as a cookie, it's definitely way more fun to eat.

Suggestion: If you choose to make these cookies and you're pleased with the results, do what I did--buy a nice looking cereal bowl, fill it with cookies, wrap it up with cellophane and ribbon, and gift it to a friend/family member/lover <3

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (~1 large)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup walnuts (~2oz), coarsely chopped, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.

2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

I think the next time I try these, I'm going to use a little more banana and a little less chocolate. I'm interested to see if they'd be just as good with more emphasis on the banana. Oh and if you try these out, let me know what you think.