How to eat 2.5 pounds of spinach in a week...

I have become a big fan of greens over the past several years.  Swiss chard was my favorite for a while, then I learned some of the joys of kale, and I have now moved on to arugula as my favorite.  Somewhere along the way spinach became a bit "meh" to me.  It cooks down soooo much, and it doesn't have the flavor of chard or arugula.  But, when I saw a 2.5 pound bag of baby spinach for $2.99 at Costco the other day, I couldn't resist.  I figured if nothing else, I could steam it and freeze it, to pull out at some point when all the other veggies had been used up.  In the end, we, including the kids, ate the entire bag before the week was out.  AND (and this is a huge and) Will asked if we could go get another bag and now goes around singing "Spinach, spinach, oh how I love spinach, spinach." Disclaimer, pretty much all of his love of spinach is confined to one thing I made, but still, I considered that a pretty huge success to come from someone who previously wouldn't touch anything green.  So, how do you eat 2.5 pounds of spinach in a week...?

1) Spinach w/tahini sauce. - w/ grilled steaks and roasted mixed russet and sweet potatoes w/oregano.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spinach-with-Tahini-1222193
Basically, steam a colander-full of spinach or cook it however you like.  Puree or mix together a clove of garlic, 3 T tahini, 1 1/2-2 T lemon juice, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/4 c water.  Pour the sauce on the spinach and enjoy.  The tahini and lemon juice complement the flavor of the greens a lot.  I think this would also be good with arugula.

2) Spinach rice casserole:
Cook 2 c of rice.  Cook a colander-full or two of spinach, the chop.  Add a cup or two of grated cheddar cheese and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic to the rice.  Mix together three eggs, ~1/3-1/2 c milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and some nutmeg, then stir into the rice.  (Best to let the rice cool a bit before adding the eggs, if possible, but if everyone is getting hungry, just add the eggs and stir quickly, and you'll be okay.)  Spread into a buttered casserole.  (I used a 9 X 13 pan to make it shallower and thus help it cook more quickly.)  Bake at 375 for 20-25 min.  It's a one-pot-wonder - Yum!

3) Spinach banana smoothies
This is the one Will liked so much.  You can play around with the proportions to find what you like.
Puree together 1-2 bananas, another colander-full of spinach, two peaches, and ~1/2-3/4 c yogurt.  I think it helps if either the bananas or peaches have been pre-sliced and frozen.  You don't need to add any liquid.  It seems odd at first, but the spinach releases plenty of water to make a nice smoothie.  Tonight we had this again as our vegetable/fruit with our "breakfast for dinner" of sweet potato hash browns and eggs.

4) Spanish spinach and white beans
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spanish-White-Beans-with-Spinach-356051
This recipe was okay, as written.  I would definitely start things off by frying up some bacon next time.
Fry up some bacon.  Remove the bacon, then cook an onion and some garlic in the grease.  Add 1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 t smoked paprika (I just used regular - maybe part of my problem with my version of this dish).  Stir in 2 19 oz cans of white beans (I have no idea how many I used.  I just threw in all the ones I had cooked and frozen in my freezer, about 1/2 a gallon bag full) and two colanders-full of spinach, along with some water.  Cook until the spinach is wilted. Crumble the bacon and add back.  There should be a decent amount of sauce, and I recommend eating it spooned onto bread.  Healthy and pretty tasty.

5) With sausage and sauerkraut sandwiches.  Did I mention I'm trying to clean out my freezer and fridge in preparation for moving?  Well, I had a lot of sauerkraut in there, so I bought some brats and grilled them up to make sandwiches.  Then I started thinking I needed more vegetable, but the only thing we had was the 2.5 pound bag of spinach.  So I cooked up a bunch.  Aleks and I put it underneath the sauerkraut in our sandwiches, and couldn't tell the difference.  The kids were not so easily fooled, perhaps because they were already so suspicious of the sauerkraut.  I really need to move them some place more German, so they can grow up right!

One final note:  I don't like slimy steamed greens, and almost every time I try to cook them in a pot that's what I end up with (or else they burn due to lack of water).  I've found that microwaving them in an uncovered bowl is my favorite method of cooking them.  Just put in a bowl and microwave for a minute or two.  They cook down, but not completely, and they don't get all wet and slimy.

And that is how we used up a huge bag of spinach in one week.  The only problem was that I didn't have any left over to try Andy's power-of-tower breakfast on the weekend.  I'll get there...

Zucchini-Basil Soup

This is another recipe that came to me via Maggie.  I know we've both told Mom & Dad about it, but I thought it deserved to be posted on the blog.  Please try this, it looks like nothing exciting, but it really is delicious and creamy.

2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and cut crosswise into thirds

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups water, divided (you can also use veggie or chicken broth)

1/3 cup packed basil leaves

Julienne skin (only) from half of zucchini with slicer; toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and drain in a sieve until wilted, at least 20 minutes. Coarsely chop remaining zucchini.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 3- to 4-quarts heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chopped zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water and simmer, partially covered, until tender, about 15 minutes. Purée soup with basil in 2 batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids).

Bring remaining cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and blanch julienned zucchini 1 minute. Drain in a sieve set over a bowl (use liquid to thin soup if necessary).

Season soup with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls with julienned zucchini mounded on top.

I made this with a roasted vegetable panzanella.  Yum.

Molly

Doing my part

I'm doing my part with the summer challenge this week.  I've tried two new recipes from the blog.  I tried Maggie's fajita rub last night.  You need to make that!  The fajitas were delicious and so simple!  Yum!

I also am currently making black beans from dried beans I bought, again using Maggie's recipe.  The verdict is still out on how they will turn out.  I'm optimistic!

Molly

I'm baaaaa-aaack! A "Mexican" salad!

Hey all,

I had a brief hiatus with cooking because I didn't have an appetite and was feeling too lame to do anything.  After a week in San Diego, I'm back and ready to roll!

This isn't much of a recipe, but boy was this salad delicious.  Tom is in dissertation world and wasn't eating especially well while I was gone.  I thought we could both use a dose of some leafy greens.  Here's what we ended up with.

Spring mix - chopped up a bit.  Most recipes would call for romaine, but we prefer spring mix.
Ear of corn - kernals cut off and sauteed with salt, pepper, and a little bit of butter
Cherry tomatoes - halved
Red bell pepper - chopped
Avocado - chopped
Black beans - rinsed
Feta or cotija cheese - crumbled

Dressing:
1/4 c lime juice
1/4 c olive oil
2T honey
cilantro - some, chopped
garlic - some, crushed
salt & pepper - to taste

Throw that all in a big old bowl and toss.  Note:  I did not toss the dressing with the salad because I didn't want to run the risk of having too much.  We also sauteed some chicken to throw on top, but that wasn't necessary, though it was tasty.

If you have any great salad recipes, throw them out here!  I'm not sure why I don't make salad for dinner more often.  I could use a few ideas.

Molly

Heretic's pie crust

For Patrick's birthday I made strawberry rhubarb pie from a recipe I found online.  To my surprise, the crust recipe used oil and milk instead of shortening and water.  The reviews mostly split into two camps.  Fist, pie crust purists who outright refused to try the crust made with oil, and second, people who had tried the recipe and loved the crust.  Since the oil crust was substantially easier than the shortening crust, I had to give it a try.  Purists, plug your ears...  It worked.  2 1/4 C flour, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 C vegetable oil, 6T milk.  Flour + salt, then oil + milk.  But don't mix the oil and milk together when you measure them together in the liquid measuring cup.  I don't know if that's actually important or not, but since it involves skipping a step instead of adding a step I follow that instruction religiously.  Don't add flour as you roll it out.  Instead, roll between two sheets of wax paper.  I actually found that the bottom layer of wax paper was unnecessary, since the dough doesn't stick to the counter.  I am actually planning to use the wax paper for all my rolling needs in the future, as it is much easier to control the mess compared to flour.  I always have stuff against the back edge of the counter, and getting flour on it drives me nuts. 

Yesterday was Jasper's birthday and I made empanadas for the party.  While making the crust, I poured the liquids into the flour, stirred twice, and just then Samara awakened from her nap and needed my help.  By the time I got back to the crust, the wet parts were too wet and the dry parts were too dry.  Chewey, glutinous strings had formed, and I had to add water and literally knead the crust to make it rollable.  I would have thrown it out except I didn't have enough oil to make a second batch, or enough time to go get more oil.  I soldiered on.  For each section I rolled, I kneaded it first, then rolled with all my might, only to watch it spring back from the edge like bread dough.  My 4" circles became 3" circles within a couple minutes.  Cutting small circles leaves a lot of scraps, so most of the rounds had dough that had been rolled at least twice.  I was about to be charged with pie crust abuse.

I cut my rounds, laid them between waxed paper, wrapped the stack in plastic, put it in the 'fridge and set it aside for 4 hours or so.  When I got them out to fill them, they had shrunk and thickened, and I had to smoosh them thin again between my fingers and work them with my hands to make them pliable enough to fill.  I was expecting them to be terrible, but they came out fine.  It wasn't a fine pastry, but it did the job and didn't detract from the meal.  There is no way a shortening or butter crust could have withstood this treatment.

When I did a better job the first time I made it, the crust was quite good and caused me very little hassle compared to a regular pie crust.  When I made it the second time, this recipe prevented a party disaster.  So I am now officially a pie crust heretic and plan to make my crusts with oil henceforward. 

Pane Siciliano - aka my go-to bread recipe

Here is the recipe I almost always make when I bake bread.  Sometimes I try to branch out, but I pretty much always come back to this recipe.  I consider it a bit of a medium-rich bread due to the oil and honey, but I think it's still technically a lean bread.  I've found that putting the bread in the fridge overnight almost always increases the flavor a lot, so this bread is better with the pre-ferment.  I've also made it as a single whole recipe and then put the whole thing in the fridge overnight.  This used to work better for me, but as my yeast has gotten older I've had some trouble getting a good rise the next day.  It does save having to mix the dough twice, which is nice.

Pate Fermentee (pre-ferment):
2 1/4 c (10 oz) bread flour
3/4 t salt
1/2 t yeast
3/4 - 7/8 c (6-7 oz) water

Mix as for bread dough.  Let rise at room temp, the place in the fridge over night.  The next day, cut the dough into about 10 pieces to warm up.

Pane Siciliano:
1 recipe pre-ferment
3 c (16 oz) bread flour
1 3/4 c (8 oz) semolina flour
1 1/4 t salt
1 1/4 t yeast
2 T (1 oz) oil*
1 T (3/4 oz) honey
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 (10-12 oz) water**
sesame seeds for sprinkling on top.

Mix, knead, let rise, without punching down (though with the understanding that you'll lose some rise as you handle the dough) shape into two loaves.  Make sure to properly develop the surface tension as you shape your loaf.  I've found this to be my biggest problem with putting a full recipe of dough in the fridge overnight. When the dough is colder, it's hard to get the right surface tension so that it rises without spilling over the edges of my pan.  Let it rise again, make three slices across the top, mist with water, then sprinkle on the sesame seeds.  Place a 9X13X2 metal pan inside the hot oven, then pour water in when you add your bread to the oven.  This will create steam that is supposed to help the bread rise more.  (I dunno, it's kinda annoying to do, and I'm not completely convinced it makes a huge difference, especially since I've developed my multi-temp baking method (see below).  Bake until the bread is done - ie about 190-205 degrees F internally.  I like softer, more tender insides, so I tend to pull mine any time after it reaches 190.  If you let it get up to 205, it's going to be drier, which may be your preference.  It should take 20-30 minutes to back.

*I use toasted sesame oil and love the strong flavor it gives.  The original recipe calls for olive oil.  I've found that a mix is also good.)
**I always err on the lower end for the water.  It depends on how dry your flour is, I guess.)

I think the three most important things for bread are the water content, the extent to which the gluten gets developed, and the temp at which it's baked.
-Bread dough should be wetter than you think.  My bread bible says "tacky, but not stick".  I'm not sure how to achieve just kneading the dough by hand.  The flour seems to absorb more water as you work the dough, so even if it seems too wet at first, as you keep working it, it becomes less sticky, even without the addition of extra flour.  I always make mine in my stand mixer, and I'm not sure how you get past that initial "too wet" phase without adding extra flour if you're just doing it by hand.
-Knead until the dough passes the "window pane" test.  If you pull off a small piece and gently stretch it with your fingers, you should be able to stretch it until it's translucent without it breaking.
-I've been playing around with the baking temp lately.  I like a good fluffy interior and a good solid crusty crust.  To get the dough to rise before forming a crust that is too hard for the CO2 to raise any more, I think you have to do the initial baking at a lower temp - say 425-430.  Then, I kick the temp up to 450 or so for the last 5-10 min to create a thicker darker crust.  I think spraying the crust with more water also helps create more "crackle".

Let me know what you think.  I also have recipes for leaner breads and for more rich breads, which I'm happy to pass along.

-Recipes copied or adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.  I would recommend this book for all the info in the beginning about the various stages of bread baking.

Update:  The family seemed like they needed some homemade bread, so I went to my go-to recipe this weekend.  I baked it at 425 for about 15 minutes or so, then kicked the temp up to 435 for another 10 maybe (that's a bit of a guess), then up to 450 for the last 7 minutes.  I also used the water pan, and misted the bread and sides of the oven about 4 times during the first 5 minutes or so of baking.  Aleks took it out of the oven, and said the internal temp was somewhere around 205 or so.  It turned out beautifully - a decent crust (never like good bakery crust, but I think you have to have a different kind of oven for that), perfect texture - soft and chewy.   Suzie said "Mmm!" after each bite.
Since it turned out so pretty and I had just posted this recipe, I decided to take a picture.  

Note: I made the initial cuts in across the top when I first put them in the pan to rise.  I should have either made them deeper or deepened them right before I put it in the oven.  Another option, which is maybe the best one, is to only make the cuts right before you put it in the oven.  The point of the cuts is to relieve some of the surface tension, giving the bread a place to "bloom" out as it rises.


We enjoyed it with grilled lamb chops, steamed spinach, caramelized onions, grill-roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic and oregano, and a chipotle blue-cheese cream sauce.  Man, we eat well.

Amazing summertime breakfast, which can be made in the winter as well.

Alright, this is about the best, relatively simple breakfast yet...Now I know most of you probably don't have a problem eating hollandaise sauce, but I frequently eat breakfast with a young lady who finds the yellow, creamy stuff deplorable.  This caused a little problem when having lazy-morning killer breakfasts, since my idea of killer breakfast usually involved biscuits and gravy (hard to get out and do anything after that one) or some form of eggs benny.  Alas, a solution was found in the "tower of power" breakfast.  I'm not kidding any more, next time you wanna wake up slow and have a killer sunday morning breakfast and another pot of coffee, try this.  Kyrstan found the recipe at a blog called My New Roots, which I would also recommend checking out.  It seems that the lady running it used to be of lesser notoriety, and her recipes were simpler, not she seems to be changing styles to the slightly more gourmet side, but fun to check out either way.  For the record, when she says serves four, it means four considerate, or otherwise "light" eaters.  I would plan on an extra half sweet potato and doubling up the poached eggs for four keck-style eaters.

Veggie & Egg Tower of Power

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 giant sweet potato (750g / 26 oz.)

200 grams / 7 oz. cherry tomatoes

4 generous fistfuls of baby spinach (approx. 150 grams / 5 oz.) 

2 medium red onions

4 eggs

1 Tbsp. vinegar

ghee or coconut oil (or butter/oil sez Andy)

extra virgin olive oil (optional)

sea salt & pepper

chili flakes  

Directions:

1. Start by caramelizing the onions. Peel and slice the onions into rounds. Heat some ghee or oil in a skillet, add onions and a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally (not too often, or they will not brown) until dark, soft and sweet – approx. 30-45 minutes. Do not wash pan after use. 

2. Preheat oven to 400 °F/200 °C. Slice sweet potatoes across their width into ¼”/6 mm round discs. Coat with a little ghee or oil, place in a single layer on 2 baking sheets, leaving one sheet with a little space for the tomatoes. Wash and slice tomatoes in half. Place on one baking sheet with sweet potatoes, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until everything is soft. Keep in the oven until ready to serve.

3. Once the onions, sweet potatoes and tomatoes have all finished cooking, put a shallow saucepan of water on to boil, stir in 1 tablespoon of vinegar. 

4. Wash spinach, but do not spin dry, as the water will serve to steam the leaves while cooking. Add spinach to the onion pan on low heat and stir occasionally until wilted (3-4 minutes). 

5. While the spinach is wilting, poach the egg. 

6. While the eggs are poaching, assemble the plate: place 6-7 slices of roasted sweet potato on the bottom, followed by the wilted spinach and caramelized onions. Scatter the roasted tomatoes around the base with a drizzle of good olive oil. Place the poached egg on top of the stack, sprinkle with chili flakes if desired, and a generous grind of sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.    

Andy