Mushroom Quinoa

I have also just realized - after paying $10.00 for a small bag of it at the store - that I have neglected to say how I cook my quinoa.

First of all, be sure to rinse it over and over before cooking it - you want the water to run clear - otherwise it has a tendency to have a soapy taste to it. (I do this and then soak in cool water for 30 minutes and then rinse again before cooking.) I take a teaspoon or so of olive oil in a sauce pan and toss in a healthy handful of sliced portabella mushrooms and chopped onion (probably about a cup or more of sliced shrooms and a half a cup of chopped onion.) Saute for a few minutes and then add a cup of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, add a half a cup of your clean quinoa and some fresh thyme. A bit of salt and pepper and then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed (about 30 minutes)
I LOVE it like this!

C'mon - is that easy or WHAT? And quinoa is SUPER good for you!

Merry Christmas!

Ok - So I'm a few days late with the Christmas greetings! I had a wonderful holiday and hope you all did too - no matter what holiday you celebrate.

I did fondue for Christmas this year - an oil fondue - and it was SO MUCH FUN! Everyone really enjoyed it and it kept everyone talking and laughing and moving around - it was much more informal than a sit down dinner. There were a few that have never done a fondue before, so that made it all the more fun. I wish I'd taken pictures of all that I made, but once again I was bad with the picture taking part of my cooking. I swear I will try to get better, so you all can see what the heck I'm doing!

I did cubes of beef and chicken, plus shrimp and sea scallops (I cubed the scallops too - they were pretty big). Then I had a big tray of chunks of onion and bell peppers, steamed Brussels sprouts, portabella mushrooms (my step-dads favorite!) plus broccoli and cauliflower.

We had two fondue pots going, so everyone had room to cook...it was really a blast.

I also made gravlax (my mans favorite) and the new pate', of course. Plus I did an olive tray with olives (obviously), grapes, and stuffed hot cherry peppers.

For New Years Eve we are doing our traditional steamed whole lobsters and I'm thinking of ordering some cherrystone clams to make clams casino - I'll let you know later if I tackled that or not! lol!

Veal Scallopini with Brown Butter and Capers

I just found this on epicurious and it's so simple and very, very delicious! Just make sure you use a heavy NOT non-stick skillet - I used my big cast iron skillet and it was perfect...

• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pound thin veal scallopini (less than 1/4 inch thick)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained small capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over high heat until hot, then add oil and heat until it shimmers.

Meanwhile, stir together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then pat veal dry and dredge in flour, knocking off excess.

Cook veal in 2 batches, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Discard oil from skillet, then add butter and cook over medium heat, shaking skillet frequently, until browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar, capers, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Return veal to skillet just to heat through, then sprinkle with parsley.

Fresh, Homemade Pasta

While I would love to say that I remember how Sadie, an old Italian woman that I once knew, made her homemade pasta, I'm afraid there wasn't a recipe. She pulled out a large piece of plywood, made a mound of flour with a well, and then cracked a bunch of eggs into it. Of course there was no measuring - she knew it by feel - and then she dried the pasta that she'd cut on clean sheets stretched across her dining room furniture.

I did know that in my search for pasta, the only real source that I could know and trust was Mario Batali - and this is all him. I only had large eggs, so I ended up using 6 - I also added a bit of olive oil (just a drizzle) and this came out divine.

Fresh pasta freezes beautifully - and I also admit that my KitchenAid pasta attachments are a dream-come-true here!

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.

Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.

Oil and Vinegar Coleslaw

I like oil and vinegar slaw way better than the mayo kind - if you haven't tried it, you need to!

1/2 head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 head purple cabbage cored and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked white pepper
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion tops

In a large, non-reactive bowl, combine the cabbage, onion and carrot, season with the salt and pepper and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour before proceeding.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir the vinegar periodically to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat. Remove the cabbage from the refrigerator and pour the vinegar over the top of the cabbage. Add the oil and green onions and toss well to thoroughly combine.

Cover with plastic wrap and return the cabbage to the refrigerator. Allow slaw to sit for 2 or 3 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.

My Garden has Come Alive!

Last week I planted my arugula, mesclun, snow peas, sugar snap peas, beets and onions! And I everything but the onions have already sprouted ~ woo hoo!

We also put in asparagus 3 weeks ago - purple passion and Jersey giant...I know it will be a few years before we can enjoy it, but it's gonna be worth it!

My tomato, pepper, eggplant and herb seeds that I started in my greenhouse are doing great this year - better than last year, for sure. For tomatoes I have a couple of heirlooms, some San Marzano's, some Sunray's (orange) and yellow pear. For peppers I have different colored bell - yellow, orange, red, purple, green but I also have jalapeño, banana and cherry ones going! I did an Italian eggplant this year - it's white and purple striped, and the seeds started well, so I think those will do fine!

Oregano, tarragon and chives are back, my thyme got accidentally dug up by my other half, and the cilantro is in...I still have my green and purple basils, parsley and sage to get in. (my sage didn't make it last year!)

Don't you just love the springtime?