Salted Almonds

We toasted absent friends on Christmas Day with glasses of sparkling white burgundy.

We enjoyed the wine so much that tonight we'll be welcoming in the New Year with it.

It's a dry crisp, yet slightly floral bubbly. Excellent accompaniments are creamy, fruity, and salty. At Christmas we had strawberries and St. André (a triple creme French cheese that should only be eaten in small amounts) and salted almonds. Tonight we'll show more restraint and just nibble on these delicious nuts.

(Almonds are an excellent source of healthy fats -- they actually help lower cholesterol. They're also a good source of heart-friendly magnesium and potassium, which will counter-balance some of the extra salt we're adding for flavor.)

These are similar to the tamari almonds available at health food stores, but the extra salt on the outside gives them an added flavor burst. I use whole almonds and don't bother to blanch them - the skins are extra fiber, and they look pretty. Because I use an egg white to glue the salt to the outside, I store the nuts in the fridge for a week or the freezer for longer. They're quick to pull out and warm whenever a salty snack is needed.

Salted Almonds
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
10 grinds fresh pepper
1 egg white
12 oz bag almonds (scant 3 cups)

Whisk the first four ingredients together. Add the almonds and soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain into another bowl, reserving the liquid, and spread the nuts on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 250°F for 10 minutes. Stir. Drizzle the warm nuts with the reserved liquid and mix it in. Spread the nuts out again and continue baking until they're dry -- another 15 minutes or so -- turning halfway through.

Let cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Reheat in a 200° toaster oven -- 3-4 minutes for refrigerated nuts, 6-7 for frozen -- and serve warm.

Makes 3 cups.

Baby Kohlrabi

I was planning braised turnips for Christmas lunch, but when I walked past the South Central Farmers Cooperative stall at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Christmas Eve I saw baby kohlrabis. How could I resist?

Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family, and has edible greens and a delicious bulbous stem that grows above ground, looking like quite the alien plant.

Usually at the market the stalks and greens are 18-inches long or so. But the ones I saw Saturday were about nine inches from bulb to leaf top.

I snagged a bunch, and then pondered how to best showcase them on the Christmas lunch table. I decided to cook the greens as wilted greens, and then toss the cooked stems in garlic butter and serve them on top of the greens.

Best dish of the day!

Baby Kohlrabi
1 bunch baby kohlrabi
2 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, chile flakes
1/2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic

Wash the leaves and narrow stems of the kohlrabi. Chop them into 2" pieces and put them (with water still clinging to their leaves) in a pan where the olive oil is warming over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a few dried chile flakes. Toss well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or so until they are tender, stirring occasionally.

Peel the kohlrabi bulbs so no tough fibers remain. Chop them into bite-sized pieces and cook them briefly in boiling water until they are tender. Warm the butter and garlic in a sauté pan, and toss the kohlrabi in it until well coated.

Put the warm greens on a serving dish and pour the bulbs and garlic butter over top.

Serves 3-4.

Christmas Recap

I'm listening to "One Happy Christmas" as I write this on Boxing Day (Day after Christmas to Americans), and I have to say, that's what we had.

The food happiness started on Christmas Eve with pasta, continued through Tracie and Kizzie's visit for Christmas lunch, and kept going through lunch today with leftovers.

Here's what we've been eating:

Christmas Eve
Pasta with Gorgonzola and Arugula
Homemade Baguette

Christmas Lunch
St. André cheese and strawberries, salted almonds
Stuffed Pumpkin
Brussels Sprouts
Mashed Potatoes
Brisket that Larry made
Kohlrabi greens and stems
Chocolate Truffle Tart
Port and Stilton

Boxing Day Lunch
Bubble and Squeak

The Christmas Eve baguette was made with a recipe from The Idiot's Guide to Artisan Baking. That's a whole other post.

I used penne for the pasta, and a 14oz can of diced tomatoes (drained) in place of the fresh tomatoes.

I cooked the stuffing for the pumpkin on Christmas Eve, and filled it Christmas morning after scooping out the seeds and guts. The stuffing was a delicious pilaf of cooked brown basmati rice, mushrooms and cashews sautéed in butter, onions cooked until they were dark brown, and pinquito beans. Unfortunately the pumpkin had very little flesh, and it stayed hard as it cooked (90 minutes at 350°). So we scooped out and enjoyed the filling. Next year my Mum will be here at Christmas -- she's the expert stuffed-pumpkin cook -- so hopefully we'll have a fully edible dish. (Although I have to say, serving rice pilaf in a pumpkin is a show-stopper. I got the gorgeous burnt orange color by brushing it with oil a half-hour into the cooking.)

We didn't eat dinner Christmas night - still full from a leisurely lunch.

I used the leftover mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts (in place of the raw potatoes and cabbage) in Boxing Day's bubble and squeak. Boy, I love leftovers.

Christmas Cookies

Early in our marriage, Larry told me about Sand Tarts, the thin, pale, dense Christmas cookies he loved as a child. His mother didn't have the recipe, but I found one in my 1975 edition of the Joy of Cooking, and when Larry tasted them, he said they were exactly as he remembered.

So every Christmas since then, I have performed the labor of love that is making these cookies.

The dough is very stiff and has to be rolled to 1/16". Much un-seasonal language echoes from the kitchen as the dough sticks to the table and deformed snowmen have to be patted into shape on the cookie sheet before baking.

A couple of years ago I got smart and bought a roul-pat - a large silicon mat to roll the dough on. No more sticking. Less cussing. In fact I became a little cocky at how well I had mastered these cookies.

Until this year, when I accidentally used whole wheat flour instead of white.

It was not an attempt to add nutrition and fiber to a Christmas treat. I had bought a bag of organic pastry flour, not realizing it was whole wheat. The dough was a little darker than usual, but I thought it was because I used raw sugar instead of the white bleached kind. I put it in the fridge to chill, and then pulled out my flour canister to re-fill it from the new bag. That's when I noticed how white the flour in the bottom of the canister was. Oh no. I had messed with tradition.

And a very serious tradition it is. Larry loves these cookies with his morning coffee during the holiday season. He says that he considered having me sign a pre-nup that I would bake these every year. He doesn't need a Christmas present as long as he has sand tarts. He doesn't need the 12 Days of Christmas, just 12 Days of Sand Tarts.

So I baked only one cookie sheet-ful, and confessed the mistake to him as I put a few in his lunch bag. I told him if the whole wheat flour made them not good for Christmas, I'd freeze the rest of the dough for after the holidays, and make a new batch with white flour.

Larry tasted the cookies, and declared them delicious.

We made the remaining dough into cookies last night. I rolled and cut, Larry sugared and baked.

Maybe we've started a new holiday tradition.

Whole Wheat Sand Tarts
3/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup raw organic sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
colored sugars to decorate (optional)

Beat the butter until soft. Gradually beat in the sugar and keep beating until it's creamy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon rind.

Stir together the flour and salt, and gradually stir them into the butter mixture. You will probably have to knead the last of the flour in by hand. Form the dough into a log, wrap in wax paper and chill several hours. (At this stage you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks, baking a few cookies as needed.)

Take the dough from the fridge and let it get a little soft. If your house is cool, this will a few hours. But you don't want the dough to be too soft or it becomes even harder to roll.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll the dough out very thin. Flour the table and rolling pin as needed. A silicon rolling pad really helps.

Cut the dough into shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets or sil-pats (re-usable silicon cookie sheet liners). Sprinkle with colored sugars if desired.

Bake 8 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, rotate the cookie sheets back to front and switch the top one with the bottom one. This helps all the cookies bake evenly.

Makes about 70 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking, 1975)

Brussels Sprouts

I bought my Christmas Brussels sprouts early - I didn't want to risk the farmers running out, and they keep well in the crisper drawer in the fridge.

My favorite vegetables at childhood Christmas dinners were the Brussels sprouts, boiled then tossed with almonds that had been toasted in melted butter.

Long-time readers of this blog might remember Larry's childhood aversion to Brussels sprouts, indeed most vegetables. (You can read his post here.)

Fortunately, Larry's learned that even if he doesn't like a vegetable the first time around, after a few more test-runs he might actually start enjoying it. I think this is a really healthy attitude to food - after all, how many of us enjoyed our first sip of coffee or beer? Or the first puff of a cigarette? Yet we persevere, wanting to like these substances, and we learn to enjoy them.

If we all had the same tenacity in learning to like Brussels sprouts and leafy greens, we would be much healthier.

A common complaint with cooked Brussels sprouts is that they are mushy on the outside and hard on the inside. The key to cooking them evenly is to cut an x in the bottom of each stem before cooking. Steaming or boiling are both fine, just make sure to whisk them off the heat when a knife slides in to the center with just a little pressure.

In celebration of our Southern California lifestyle, this year's Brussels sprouts will be tossed with juice from a lemon freshly picked from our tree.

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Trim any yellowed-leaves from the Brussels sprouts and cut an x in the bottom of each. Steam over boiling water until barely tender, about 8 minutes depending on their size. You can leave them like this until just before you're ready to serve.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan large enough that the sprouts are in a single layer. Toss in sprouts and cook until warmed through. Add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss again before serving.

Serves 2-3

Radish Green Soup

One of the great things about shopping at the farmers market is I can ask the farmers and their helpers how they cook their produce.

Some growers are one-note cooks. "Chop it up and stir it into rice," says one about pretty much everything he sells. "Toss it in olive oil and roast it in the oven," says another about his produce. Both great ideas, but they get a little boring after a while.

I keep asking though, because on occasion I get a gem of a recipe. Like this radish-top soup that I learned about at the Flora Bella stand.

I had selected a bunch of black radishes for their roots, which are turnip-sized with a radish-y zest more potent than the small red radishes but less eye-watering than horseradish. I like to peel them and add them to dishes of roasted root vegetables. As I was paying for them, I thought to ask if their leaves were edible too.

I never thought of eating radish leaves, but I've since learned that the leaves of all radishes, even the little red ones, are good eating. They are a little hairy, but cooking and puréeing them breaks them down to a smooth consistency.

When the woman working the stall gave me this soup recipe (her husband's favorite), I decided I needed a second bunch in order to make a decent amount. She dug through the pile for one with excellent leaves, and I came home to give it a try.

Larry was a little dubious when I put the green goop in his bowl, but he really enjoyed it. As did I. It's creamy and light, yet with a radishy tang. I didn't think it would be filling - no beans or potatoes - but it actually sticks to the ribs. And in smaller bowlfuls it could be an excellent appetizer soup. It would certainly intrigue your guests while giving them lots of nutrition.

You can make the soup with the tops of any radishes, including the red ones. If you don't have enough greens, you could pad it with mustard greens, chard or spinach.

And you can substitute olive oil for the butter to make this a creamy vegan soup.

Radish Green Soup
1 bulb fennel
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
greens from 2 bunches of black radish (1 lb total greens)
2 cups vegetable stock

Cut the leaves and stems off the fennel and discard. Cut the bulb in half and cut off the tough bottom and core - discard these too. Chop the remaining segments into large pieces.

Warm the olive oil and butter in a saucepan and sauté the fennel, onion and garlic until softened.

Wash the radish greens and cut off the tough bottoms which are just stem. Chop the leaves and add to the pan along with the vegetable stock. Cook, covered, until the greens are very soft.

Purée in the blender.

Serve hot.

Serves 2-3.

Sautéed Parsnips

This has been a great year for parsnips. We are getting bunches weekly from Finley Farms. Larry is starting to really like them, especially sautéed in butter as in this recipe. He also appreciates the vegetable stock I make - he says it greatly enhances his beef stew, and I'm sure that's because I put a parsnip in the stock pot.

The parsnips we've been getting are so fresh they still have the greens attached. I take them home for the compost, but we don't eat them, because I fear they might be poisonous like potato leaves are. Touching the leaves can cause skin irritation and sun sensitivity in some people, although fortunately not me. If you're buying your parsnips at the grocery store, it's unlikely you'll see the greens. And at the farmers market, the farmers will happily remove the greens for you if you are concerned.

Parsnips have similar nutritional values to potatoes, but they are higher in fiber and lower in calories. Of course, they don't taste like potatoes. They have an earthy sweetness that adds variety to any meal.

Plus they are dead easy to cook. Here is my latest quick and easy method.

Sautéed parsnips
1 1/2 lb parsnips (1 bunch)
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Peel and thinly slice the parsnip roots - less than a quarter inch is ideal.

Warm the butter over medium heat in a fry pan large enough to give the parsnips room to spread out. Add the parsnips and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5-8 minutes.

If they're well-colored but not soft enough, lower the heat and cover the pan to let the roots steam for a couple of minutes until they're done. (Cook them to the same softness you would carrots.)

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

Comfort Food

Sometimes I just want a bowl of delicious goodness.

That's when I turn to this simple yet soul-satisfying dish.

White beans cooked with garlic, steamed greens, and a drizzle of fruity olive oil. It's a wonderful combination of flavors and soothing textures.

If you haven't cooked dried beans before, this is the recipe to start with. If you're not sure how fresh your beans are, start it early in the day. Cook until the beans are soft, then turn off the heat and let them sit on the stove until you start the greens, about 15 minutes before you're ready to eat. Reheat and serve.

If you want to use canned beans, use 2 14-oz cans. Drain off the can juice and reheat them with some vegetable stock or water along with the seasonings. It won't be quite as delicious (or cheap) but it will be good.

For the greens, I was lucky enough to get rapini and lamb's quarters from the Flora Bella stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market. You can use spinach, dandelions, chard, turnip greens, beet greens, whatever you have. If you're not used to bitter greens like dandelion, add some sweet greens like chard and spinach to tone it down. (The bitter greens are excellent for the liver, so try to use some of them.)

In the past, I have only made this recipe when Larry was out of town. I believed he would not like it. But I was wrong. I cooked it last week when I was craving some good greens, and he said he really liked it. And he ate it as leftovers too, so I believe him.

Italian Greens and Beans
1 lb white beans
1 red chile, dried or fresh
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 lb greens (or 2 bunches)
olive oil

Sort the beans and discard any dirt or stones. Rinse them and put them in a large pot with the chile and bay leaves. Peel the garlic and throw it in too. Add boiling water from the kettle to cover by 2 inches. (Use cold tap water if you don't have enough boiling.) Bring to the boil and cook, covered, until the beans are tender. I used white lima beans from Lompoc, probably harvested this year, so they only took 90 minutes to cook. Yours might take up to 4 hours. Plan accordingly. And remember, it's better to cook them early and let them sit than it is to serve crunchy beans.

(Concerned about the gassy qualities of beans? The garlic helps eliminate them.)

Wash the greens well. (In this era of plastic mulch and drip irrigation, the greens might be clean. But if it's rained they can be quite muddy. Swish them in basins of cold water until no dirt is left in the bottom.) Put them in a large pot with an inch of boiling water in the bottom. Let them cook until the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain them and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Taste the beans and add salt and pepper to enhance the flavor.

Using a slotted spoon, put some beans into a shallow soup bowl. Add a little of the bean juice. Spoon some greens on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil. And enjoy.

Serves 6. (But is great reheated the next day)

Mustard Greens

Mustard greens have a zest that pairs well with creamy dishes. I served them at Thanksgiving with scalloped potatoes and barbecue beans, and they added color and texture, as well as health-promoting nutrients.

Mustard greens are cruciferous vegetables, so they have the same health benefits as broccoli and cabbage. They are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which makes them a great cancer preventative. Plus they're an excellent source of folic acid.

Usually I buy purple mustard greens, but I could only find the green curly kind at the market. They turned out great in this incredibly simple recipe.

Wilted Mustard Greens
1 bunch green or purple mustard greens
1 small clove garlic
3/4 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Wash the greens, discarding any yellow leaves and chopping the brown bottom off the stems. Cook the greens in boiling salted water until they are wilted and the stems are tender, 5-8 minutes. Put them into cold water to stop the cooking, then drain them and squeeze out the extra moisture. Coarsely chop the leaves. At this point, you can set them aside at cool room temperature for a few hours before finishing the recipe.

Melt butter in sauté pan over moderately low heat. Peel and chop the garlic and cook it in the butter about 2 minutes until it is softened. Add the greens, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Serves 3-4

Ginger Green Tea

I've started making ginger green tea my morning drink.

I've heard for years about the health benefits of green tea - it's high in antioxidants that fight cancer, keep your heart and arteries healthy, balance blood sugar, and boost brain power. But I find it hard to enjoy. It's a little bland and tannic for my tastes.

But adding ginger both mellows it and gives it a zing. Ginger also has a lot of health benefits - it's good for the digestion, boosts the immune system, fights certain cancers, and is anti-inflammatory. In fact, green tea and ginger are a very healthy way to start the day.

This recipe is what I've been doing. It's warm, wet and a little tingly. The ginger masks the bitterness of the green tea. I like it mild, but you can add more ginger if you prefer, or simmer the ginger longer.

It's essential not to have the water boiling when you add the green tea or it will taste bitter. Experts say the water for brewing green tea should be at 180-190°F. I figure as long as it's not bubbling, it's close enough.

The timing is approximate too - I brew the tea while puttering around making our breakfast fruit and our lunches.

I get organic green tea leaves at Chado, a few blocks from my office in Old Pasadena. You could substitute a green tea teabag if that's what you have.

I admit to feeling virtuous while sipping this tea. The fact it tastes good is an added bonus.

Ginger Green Tea
3 nickel-sized slices of fresh ginger root
1 tsp green tea (or 1 teabag)

Peel the brown skin off the ginger and put the slices in a small pot with 1 1/4 cups cold water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down and let the ginger simmer 3 minutes. Uncover and take off the heat. When it's stopped bubbling, add the green tea. Cover and let steep 3 minutes. Strain into a mug and serve.

Serves 1