summer squash soup with black beans, orange, and turmeric

so my i harvested my first summer squash from the garden the other day and a few hungarian cherry peppers. i was also craving some black bean soup, so i decided to mix the two and make a nice summery soup with two different flavors: turmeric and orange juice

turmeric is a great flavor to add to dishes. some may say to use only a little bit, but given to my persian upbringing, a lot of dishes have lots of turmeric in them. so i decided to try it in a non- persian dish. turmeric's flavor is somewhat earthy, like horseradish and mustard, but a bit more bitter. in any case, i think it added great flavor to the soup

and, orange juice. i love using it in black bean soup, it gives it a nice citrus-y infused flavor, and when it slow cooks with the ingredients the flavor is just great. hope you aren't too scared to give this a try!


ingredients are as follows:


1 large summer squash, cut into small cubes
1 can black beans, you can also use dried black beans (i used can since i was short on time)
1/4 cup water
1 small yellow onion diced
2 small cherry peppers (it added a nice bit of spice to the soup)
1 medium sized tomato, diced and then crushed
1/2 cup orange juice (i prefer with pulp)
3 tablespoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil


in a medium sized pot, mix your squash, onion,peppers, tomato, and olive oil on medium heat. wait for the vegetables to get a bit softer, and then add in your black beans.

add in the orange juice slowly stirring, and also slowly add in the turmeric

let sit for a few minutes, and then slowly add in your water and other spices. let sit on low heat for a good half hour, stirring occasionally.

if you would like to add more tumeric (knowing me, i probably did...actually...i know i did) don't be afraid. i was really happy with how this soup ended up, it had a great flavor and was pretty filling. it paired well with a dark beer, specifically we paired it with soproni, a dark hungarian brew




good luck! hope you all enjoy

English Muffins (aka The Reason I Got Up This Morning)

I'm planning on making a couple of things in the next few days, but after looking through a bunch of food blogs yesterday, I absolutely had to make something ASAP. Deciding that a breakfast food was most practical, I settled on the English Muffins recipe that I found at Rosa's Yummy Yums.

I didn't modify the recipe at all, so I'm not going to re-post it here. But I do have a few notes to share.

Very simple ingredients all lined up

Yeast on its way to happy poofy-ness

Kneaded dough ready to rise

Okay, so the problems started around the time I took that last photo. Well, actually a little bit before: Readers, I want you to promise me that if you make this recipe, and you have a stand mixer, you will use it. That's all I'm gonna say.

Anyway. My mama requested that I make half the batch with cranberries, and I thought I could also add some cinnamon and sugar, since the original recipe isn't sweet at all. What I should have done was divide the dough while it was still very wet and add the sugar and cinnamon then. What I did was get the dough to the desired consistency (or close to it - it was still a little too wet when I kneaded it), then try to knead in the cinnamon and sugar. Not intelligent. It worked well with the cranberries later, though.

The second mistake was that, knowing full-well that I tend to roll dough out too thin, I dusted the work surface with corn meal as per the instructions. Should have used flour, since I ended up having to fold the dough over to make it thicker. Having corn meal in the muffins wasn't unpleasant, but it might have been part of the reason they were too dense in the end.

They definitely look pretty. But as my mom noted, they don't have the little nooks and crannies that they should when you cut them open. This could be due to over-kneading the dough or over-mixing it in the beginning.

So. Would I make these again? Definitely. Despite consistency issues, they taste great, especially the cranberry ones. I toasted both and made a sandwich out of the plain one with seared ham and cheddar cheese. Too lazy for egg this morning.

A bientot!

Kristina

nutmeg crepes with farmers cheese, fresh fruit, and honey

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Melted butter, or non-stick cooking spray
1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
a pinch of cinnamon

whisk together eggs, milk and water in a large bowl. slowly add in flour and other dry ingredients, making sure not to clump. the consistency should be somewhat runny.

heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat; spray the surface with non stick cooking spray, or you can use melted butter

pour3 large spoonfulls of batter onto the surface making sure it spreads out thinly and evenly. crepes don't take too long to cook, so let each side cook for about 25-30 seconds


i liked serving these crepes warm with some amish farmers cheese (always my first choice of cheese when eating crepes) topped with some strawberries, blueberries and some fresh honey from ken's beehive


my other favorite (and more preferred way) to make crepes is with dill. just substitute the nutmeg and cinnamon with 1/2 cup of dried dill leaves. this goes extremely well with farmers cheese: the perfect savory breakfast


with love,
sheida

bucatini tossed with garlic scape pesto and forest mushrooms sauteed in a white wine reduction

i love dried mushrooms. they are so easy to cook with, and really great for when you want to give your dish a certain flavor. just rehydrate the mushrooms in some cream or some white wine, or even a mixture of both. for this recipe, i toned down the fat, and rehydrated a mix of forest mushrooms (wood ear, porcini, morel, chanterelles, and shitake) in some milk and a dry white wine. this might be one of my favorite dishes i have ever created, so i'll share the recipe with you. as always, the ingredients are tentative since i cook something new every time (i don't like sticking to recipes) so heres the first run recipe:



1/2 pound bucatini pasta (this stuff is great for absorbing flavor, it's thick and textured)

1 cup chopped fresh spinnach

1 cup dried mushrooms of your choice, a forest mix is great, but morels could be good too

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 milk or cream

1 cup morningstar imitation chicken strips ( i put these in for protein, you can take 'em or leave 'em, or even use real chicken)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup garlic scape pesto (my new favorite kind of pesto- just replace basil with garlic scapes and i used walnuts instead of pine nuts)

3-4 leaves of fresh basil

3 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons thyme

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon bourbon barrel smoked sea salt


ok, first things first: rehydrate your mushrooms. warm up a mixture of your milk/cream with the white wine- let the mushrooms soak in the mixture for 30 minutes or until soft- white they soak, work on the rest of the recipe

in a skillet, heat the olive oil and then put in your minced garlic to give the oil flavor- throw in the morningstar imitation chicken and let that cook for about 5 minutes, then toss in the spinach and cook that for 1-2 more. after the spinach starts to get a bit soft, throw in all of your dry herbs/spices and your basil leaves.

white you are doing this, also boil the water for your pasta and cook that until al dente

then, once the mushrooms have soaked up the flavor of the milk and wine mixture, drain them from the liquid, but save the liquid in the bowl: this will be really important for the flavor later on

chop up the mushrooms and throw them into the pan with the spinach and morningstar chicken, sauté the mix for about 3-4 minutes- then add in 3/4 cup of the liquid into the pan as well and simmer on low heat

in the mean time, when your pasta is cooked al dente, drain from the water and put back into the pot. toss the bucatini with the garlic scape pesto until well coated

anddddd that's pretty much it.....serve the mushrooms and spinach (and whatever else) on top of a bed of the pasta... i liked this dish with a glass of pinot grigio, and i would think it would also go well with a riesling. enjoy!

one of my favorite pasta dishes to make: rotelle in a creamy roasted yellow bell pepper and feta sauce

so this might by far be one of my favorite dishes i have created, i've adapted the recipe over time and this might be my most successful version yet. the sauce is a combination of roasted bell peppers (i like to use yellow or orange), feta cheese, roasted garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, and of course: olive oil

i like to also toss in some caramelized onions or shallots with the pasta, and sometimes the occasional tofu, pan sauteed with oregano and basil

so- the rest is easy enough, but here's the recipe for the sauce


2 large bell peppers, yellow or orange works best

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

about a four inch by four inch block of feta cheese, i like to use greek feta

1 tablespoon roasted garlic, if you don't have roasted garlic use 2 cloves of minced garlic

5-6 basil leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon thyme

1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper


so, first things first- put your oven on broil and put in your halved bell peppers, leave them in until the skin starts to get a little blackened so you can peel it off. personally, i dont have anything against leaving the skin on the peppers, so this is all preference, i'll leave that up to you

after the peppers are roasted, remove them from the oven and coarsely chop them, then put them into your food processor or blender

coarsely chop the feta and also add that into your blender along with all of the herbs, sprices, and the garlic

add the olive oil and blend until smooth, sometimes if you're having a problem with the blade getting stuck, you can always add more olive oil, and i have even sometimes added water


well then, there is is. it's easy enough, and is best served hot over pasta, it also goes really well with a nice glass of riesling or pinot grigio . good luck and i hope you all enjoy it.


-sheida

Late-Night Sushi

So, I promise I won't make a habit of posting more than once in a day. Today just warranted it. Really, it did.

Shortly after creating the beautiful Mecca of food that is this site, Mlle Sheida and I ventured out to Beluga for their half-priced swanky sushi. And of course, being the inexperienced bloggers we are, we forgot a camera. There were some shots taken by camera phones, but trust me, you don't want to see that.

Here's what was left after the carnage was over.



As you can see, it was once quite beautiful. But oh, the devastation...



I gave it the old college try, finishing that sushi when I got home, but really all I ended up with was two fewer pieces, an unhappy stomach, and mad sushi breath. Sadly, what was left had to go in the garbage.

I also tried hard to remember what was in those rolls, and after a quick check of the website, I can tell you that I ordered:

The Crazy Tuna Roll: tuna and avocado inside, topped with spicy tuna, tempura flakes, and caviar
The Ninja Roll: shrimp tempura topped with slices of salmon and tuna
The Spicy Shrimp Roll: shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and spicy mayonnaise

I enjoyed all of the rolls, though I found that I prefer the fish to be inside the roll, rather than on top. I'll level with you guys - I can't handle the texture of raw fish. I know I'm not alone.

Because Sheida's not here, I'll tell you what she got. I mean, I was there and everything.

The Big Mouth Roll: cooked spicy tuna and crab, avocado-tempura
(I typed "crap" instead of "crab," and I just did it again, and I'd say that's a Freudian slip, except the roll was SO FREAKIN GOOD)
The Inari Roll: fried tofu

She ordered something else, but honestly, I was too busy stuffing my face to really notice. Oh! She got a California Roll! And if you don't know what that is... I have nothing to say to you.
Just kidding - I have this to say to you: look it up.

God, I'm such an amazing blogger.

A bientot!

Kristina

our first blog: carmelized brussell sprouts

Bonjour!

I'm Kristina, and she's Sheida. And together weeeeee're... The Little Cabbages! (cue applause)

But really. Welcome to our first blog post. Ever. Well, I think it's "ever" for her. Myself, I've had several unsuccessful attempts at blogging, but never with such a witty name, so here's hoping.

We're coming to you from sunny Cincinnati, Ohio, home of flying pigs and race riots. And some of the best construction sites this side of the Rockies. But more importantly, it's the home of our culinary adventures, which we'll now be bringing to you, free of charge, in the convenience of your own home! Aren't you lucky.

So anyhow. Without further rambling, I bring you our (and by "our" I mean "her") debut recipe, the inspiration for our endlessly clever pseudonym....

Brussels sprouts.

Hey, don't blame me, I think brussels sprouts are gross, but I would totally trust Sheida and try these, so you should do the same. And here she is to tell you about them!



so. brussell sprouts. yeah...they're green...and look like...cabbages....kind of....

anyways, they are pretty tasty when cooked right. my favorite way to make them is carmelized in a balsamic and butter reduction. right-o, so here's the recipe


(these are all approximate measurements since i don't like to measure things....it takes too long....adapted from recipe-zaar.com)

1 1/2 pounds brussel sprouts, cleaned

3/4 cup brown sugar (you can use normal granulated sugar as well)

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup water

3/4 teaspoon salt


in a skillet, heat the sugar over medium high heat until it starts to get brown and melty, stir occasionally so that the sugar does not burn

add the butter, and keep on stirring until mostly melted

add in your brussell sprouts

add the balsamic vinegar, go to high heat and wait for the vinegar to evaporate, you will be left with a balsamic syrup

add the water and salt, cover with a lid, stirring occasionally for the next five or so minutes, then remove the lid and stir for about 10 minutes until the glaze is absorbed into the sprouts.

and thereeee you have it, hopefully you'll dig them as much as i do....however, i always feel ridiculously unhealthy after eating them, but i feel like that is ok sometimes



with love,

kristina and sheida