Solstice Biscuits

We celebrated the Winter Solstice last night with Butternut Squash soup and sweet potato biscuits. The golden biscuits were shaped like the sun to remind us that now the days will be getting longer as we head into winter.

The biscuits are easy to make and really yummy. Even people who don't like sweet potatoes (like Larry) enjoy them. They're not too sweet, but they are fluffy and absorb butter well.

Plus the sweet potato adds beta carotene, a good boost to the immune system at this time of year when viruses make the rounds along with the holiday cheer. Make sure to buy an orange sweet potato so you get the pretty color.

Because I don't drink apple juice, when I buy a bottle I freeze the remains in 1/4 cup containers, ready to use in recipes like this or the ever-popular tofu teriyaki.

Solstice Biscuits
1 large orange sweet potato
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup white flour (plus a little more as needed)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup apple juice

Pierce the sweet potato a few times with a fork and bake it on a cookie sheet at 425° until it is very tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Remove and discard the peel and any hard bits. Mash enough to make 1 cup. Reserve any remaining for another use (or just eat it - chef's perks!).

Stir together the flours, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut in the butter until it makes fine crumbs. Stir in the mashed sweet potato and apple juice.

Knead gently to form a soft dough and turn out onto a lightly-floured board. Divide into 16 pieces and roll each into a ball. Put each on a cookie sheet and flatten it slightly.

Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter.

Makes 16 biscuits.

Stuffed Squash with Spinach and Quinoa

I made this yummy squash for dinner the other night, and thought it would be great to share the recipe for those of you hosting a vegetarian at Thanksgiving.

While there are usually enough sides at a Thanksgiving dinner to fill up even a hungry eater, it's nice to have something that looks like a centerpiece.

I used a 4-cup squash, but there's enough stuffing to fill one twice the size.

Also, I baked the squash while cooking the stuffing on the stove, then filled the cooked squash and served it. You could also stuff the raw squash and then cook it at 350°F for about an hour. Or you could use a slow cooker - a much-appreciated device when all the burners and ovens are full with other dishes. Put the raw stuffed squash in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Fashion a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper into a sling and nestle the squash in it inside the slow cooker. This will make getting the cooked squash out of the slow cooker easier.

But don't save this recipe for Thanksgiving. It's great on any fall or winter evening. The quinoa and beans give it a high protein content, the spinach (or any other green you like) provides a nutrition boost, the rosemary and garlic boost the immune system. (Although you can omit the garlic if you don't like it.) Skip the feta if you're serving vegans.

Here's what I did.

Stuffed Squash with Spinach and Quinoa
1 winter squash
2/3 cup pinto beans (or 1 14 oz can of a bean of your choice)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz raw spinach, thick stems discarded, washed and coarsely chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp smoked chile flakes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup quinoa, rinsed first in boiling water then in cold water a couple of times
2-4 tbsp chopped black olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta (or more to taste)
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the squash and pierce the top with a knife a few times. Bake about 40 minutes until it feels soft and a knife slides easily in near the stem.

Pressure cook the beans for 23 minutes until tender. (Or cook them for a couple of hours in a pot of water on the stove. Or drain the canned beans.)

Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Stir in the salt, paprika and chile flakes. Cook another minute. Add the stock and quinoa, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the beans, olives, feta and rosemary. Stir to mix.

Cut the top off the squash and scoop out the seeds and any stringy guts. Spoon the stuffing into the squash, adjust the top jauntily, and serve.

Any extra stuffing can be served on the side. Sprinkle with extra feta if desired.

Serves 6

Sunday Shopping

It was very busy at the Hollywood Farmers Market at 10 to 8 this morning. I guess people went early to shop for Thanksgiving dinner. I love holidays with lots of vegetables, although I've been restraining myself from buying too many squashes to use as decorations. Temperatures are set to head up into the 90s again - not conducive to storing squash.

Robin from Koda Farms was there on her monthly visit - just in time because we finished the brown rice this week. I was happy to buy another 5 lb bag. I store it in the freezer to keep it fresh, although we always eat our way through it quickly.

I also stocked up on red peppers from Tutti Frutti Farms. It's the time of year when they're less expensive, and I like to roast and peel them before stashing them in the freezer, ready to sweeten our soups and stews all year. I also picked up a handful of jalapeños to freeze, ready to spice up our winter meals.

Here's what we'll be eating this week:
yukon gold potatoes, onions, red peppers, broccoli, eggs, jalapeños, carrots, cilantro, oranges, brown rice, persimmons, avocados, grapefruit, tangerines, apples.

Corn and Sweet Potato Soup

As the evenings are cooler, a hearty soup makes a welcome supper.

The other night I made this southwest-style corn and sweet potato soup with cheese.

I took this picture on the second night of eating it. We re-heated it a little too much and the cheese curdled so it looks a little lumpy. It still tastes great.

Corn and Sweet Potato Soup

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 bottle Mexican beer

2 tsp ground cumin

1 bay leaf

1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped
14 oz packet frozen corn, defrosted
1 poblano, roasted, peeled and chopped (or 4oz can green chiles)

2 tsp chili powder

cayenne pepper

2 cups milk

12 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (optional)

Boil the sweet potatoes in 3 cups stock, beer, cumin and bay leaf until crisp tender, about 12-15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Do not drain.

Sauté onion and garlic in oil about 10 minutes until soft. Stir into sweet potatoes along with the remaining 3 cups of stock. Add corn, poblano, cayenne to taste, and chili powder. Gradually stir in milk. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes until warmed through.

Reduce heat to low and stir in grated cheese until just melted. Season with salt to taste.

Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Serves 6

Sunday Shopping

We did a very speedy shop this morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market. We didn't eat as much as I expected last week, so we still have some veg from last Sunday's haul.

I realized I have been so busy enjoying fresh red peppers that I've been forgetting to put some up for the upcoming year, so I brought 3 to roast and freeze this week.

Here's the organic produce we came home with:
3 red peppers for the freezer, 12 plum tomatoes and basil for Sunday pasta supper, 5 yellow potatoes, cilantro, shisito peppers, 1 lb khadrawy dates from Bautista Family Organic Date Farm, 2 dozen eggs, red and green grapes, 4 plums, assorted cherry tomatoes, 6 honey tangerines to add to the Sunday o.j., 3 quinces, 1 ambrosia melon, 4 apples, romaine lettuce, 2 ears of corn, 1 cucumber

Rice and vegetables

Having leftover rice in the fridge is like having dinner almost ready.

The other night, I sautéed some onion, green pepper and zucchini. Then I stirred in leftover cooked rice and some frozen peas.

It make a pretty main course that I served with some steamed vegetables for a good dinner.

Fast food is a working person's friend.

Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving is a much less stressful affair than the American version. Generally we clean out the garage, tune up the snowblower, close up the cottage — enjoy the fall colors and the fresh air before holing up inside for the long snowy winter.

At the end of the day — Sunday or Monday, there's no set rule — a simple meal of turkey and vegetables is served, maybe with a pumpkin or apple pie to finish. At least, that's how it was at my house.

This year, Larry and I celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday evening with a pumpkin stuffed with mushrooms and barley, the last harvest of green beans from our garden, a salad of crunchy lettuce with pistachios and red grapes, and an apple quince pie for dessert.

As we ate, we thought with gratitude of the organic farmers at the Hollywood Farmers Market who provided us with this bounty.

There are various ways to stuff a pumpkin. Usually I fill it with a grain pilaf and then bake it an hour or so until it is tender.

This year, however, I was late in from the garden, so I scooped out the pumpkin and baked it while I simmered the barley mushroom stuffing on the stove. Unfortunately, I baked it too long so it became soft and lost its shape. No matter, I filled it with the cooked pilaf and it made a lovely, if slightly lopsided, main course.

The mushroom barley pilaf is a delicious fall supper that is great even without the pumpkin.

Mushroom Barley Pilaf
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
3/4 lb assorted mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, cremini), cleaned and sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups barley
4 sprigs thyme
3/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water (I used 1 1/2 cups of my strong stock and 3 cups water)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to brown.

Add the barley and stir to coat with the pan juices. Then pour in the stock, add the thyme and salt, and a liberal amount of freshly ground pepper.

Cover the skillet and let the pilaf simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes until the barley is tender. Keep an eye on it, and add more water if it gets dry. The barley should hold its shape and be al dente when done — not mushy.

Serves 4

Note: If you are serving vegans, replace the unsalted butter with olive oil. It will still be delicious. I do prefer mushrooms in butter, though.

Sunday Shopping

There was mist in the valleys on the way to the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning. The overcast skies made it feel autumn-y, even though there was no chill in the air.

This is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, so I bought a beautiful pumpkin at T and D Farms that I will stuff with mushrooms and barley and serve as the main dish at tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner. I also bought apples for pie and a variety of greens because they were so beautiful.

Here's what we brought home with us this morning:

6 jalapeños, 4 ears of corn, 1 zucchini, 1 red butter lettuce, 8 small sweet-tart apples whose name I don't remember, red grapes, assorted cherry tomatoes, 4 sweeties (a kind of apple), 2 tomatoes, 1 red oak leaf lettuce, rainbow chard, purple mustard greens, 1 pumpkin, 3 onions, ginger root, 3/4 lb assorted mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, oyster), 8 shallots, 2 pears, 2 red peppers, 1 orange pepper, 1 green pepper, 1 liter Verni's olive oil, green beans, 2 plums, 1 eggplant, 2 lb bags of chickpeas and white limas from Suncoast Farms in Lompoc, 10 lbs valencia oranges (these will keep us in juice for a couple of weeks), 1 cantaloupe, a small feta from Achadinha Cheese Co. in Petaluma.

Roast Acorn Squash

The winter squashes call to me when I walk past the stalls at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday mornings. Now I have a cart, I am worried that I will buy more squash than we can eat in a week. And while I love to decoratively pile amazing squash on our hall table and coffee table, we're heading back into 90 degrees, and squash will not last long in that.

So last week I limited myself to two. I used the butternut squash in a bean salad and as a side dish. The acorn squash I sliced and then roasted with cumin and chiles. It was just wonderful. And, after the slicing (with a knife that was well-sharpened by Russ at the Hollywood Farmers Market), it was easy to cook.

I like this squash so much that I take leftover pieces to work and gnaw them down to the skin.

Autumn is great.

Roast Acorn Squash
1 tbsp (or so) olive oil
sprinkle of dried chile flakes
sprinkle of cumin seeds
1 acorn squash

Preheat the toaster oven to 350°F.

Warm the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the chile flakes and cumin and keep warming until fragrant. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the acorn squash. Cut it in half lengthwise. (If there's a thick stem, cut it off first.) Scoop out the seeds and guts and discard. Put a half on the board, cut side down, and cut it lengthwise in wedges 1-2 inches wide.

Dip the wedges of squash in the warm oil, rubbing them around to pick up oil and the spices, then put them on a baking sheet.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until a thin knife pierces the skin easily.

Serves 3-4 (and makes great leftovers)

Stuffed Peppers

Leftovers are my favorite dinner. The other night I had leftover beans and rice in the fridge. I stirred them together with a little corn from the freezer, seasoned them well, then stuffed them into halved red peppers, and warmed them in the toaster oven.

When the peppers were tender and the filling was warmed through — about 20 minutes at 350°F — I sprinkled a little pepper jack on top of the peppers and cooked them a little longer while the cheese melted and browned.

We had an awesome dinner that did not look like leftovers.

Kitchen magic!

Morning Fruit

Cantaloupe and red grapes. These fall colors are a beautiful (and delicious) way to start the day.

Vegetable Stock in the Slow Cooker

There is a chill in the air — okay, it's in the 70s — and I'm thinking ahead to a long winter of soups and stews.

The secret to a good vegetarian soup is an excellent stock. While there are many vegetable stocks on the shelves of the grocery store, I prefer to make my own so I can control the ingredients (no bht or msg or "natural flavors"). I make a good strong stock and freeze it in 1 1/2 cup containers. They are so flavorful that one container added to 4 1/2 cups of water makes a really good base for soup.

The vegetables used to make stock impart all their goodness to the liquid, and are pretty much tasteless mush at the end. I happily give them to the compost heap - they are full of fiber and minerals that feed the compost microbes. They turn it into black gold that I then spread on the garden.

The vegetable stock I stash in the freezer is a form of gold too. It will enrich every soup we eat this winter.

The key to a good stock is roasting the vegetables before simmering them. Think of the difference between golden sautéd onions and boiled onions. A few dried mushrooms contribute an almost beef-like richness. Vary the other vegetables, but if you find an organic parsnip make sure to throw it in. (I confess that I have hoarded last year's parsnips in my fridge all summer, pulling them out to make stock as needed. They get a little weird, but after peeling they're still good.)

Also, while a stock is a good place for diverse vegetables, don't add brassicas — they change the flavor and can get metallic-tasting when frozen. Keep to the base of onions, potatoes and carrots and your stock will enhance whatever soup (or risotto) you're making.

(When I buy fresh shiitake mushrooms, I wash and remove the stems, then dry them on a rack in the kitchen. When I add them to the stock, I feel like I'm getting free flavor!)

Here's the recipe for the stock I made this week.

Vegetable Stock
1 large onion
2 large carrots
1 large potato
1 large parsnip
1 stalk celery
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
4 dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms (or an equal amount of dried stalks)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp tamari

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

Remove the papery peel from the onion and slice it thickly. Scrub the carrots and potatoes and cut in 1" chunks. Peel the parsnip and cut in 1" chunks. Chop the celery in 1" lengths. Place the garlic cloves, unpeeled, on your cutting board and crush with the side of your big knife. 

Place the vegetables in a lightly oiled baking pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until lightly browned, turning once, about 30 minutes total.

Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in 1 cup water until softened. Remove them from the water and check for dirt or grit. Pour the soaking water through a coffee filter, straining out any grit. Reserve mushrooms and soaking water.

Put the roasted vegetables in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add mushrooms and soaking water, bay leaves, peppercorns, tamari, 1 tsp salt, and 7 cups water. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Let cool slightly, then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Press the vegetables against the side of the sieve with a wooden spoon to get the most liquid possible, although this will make the stock cloudy, so don't do it if you need a clear broth. Discard the vegetables.

Either use the stock right away, refrigerate it for a few days, or freeze for longer storage.

Makes about 8 cups.

Sunday Shopping

It was overcast at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning. The air was cooler than usual, and the piles of pumpkins emphasized that fall is here.

I was concerned that with our new cart, I would find it way too easy to load up on winter squash. But I managed to restrain myself to two.

Here's a list of the organic produce we brought home with us:
4 early girl tomatoes, 2 potatoes, 1 red onion, 1 butternut squash, 1 bunch mustard greens, 1 acorn squash, 1 green pepper, 1 cucumber, cherry tomatoes, 3 jonagold apples, 2 yellow summer squash, 1 cantaloupe, 2 dozen eggs.

And Russ sharpened a knife while we shopped.

Autumn Supper

I planned supper in my head on the way home the other night: cooked white beans in the fridge, a small butternut squash in the cupboard, and a bunch of tiny turnips - greens detached but in a bag with them - in the fridge. That sounded like the makings of a good autumn supper.

I went outside to pick some thyme and rosemary, then started dinner.

I gently warmed some garlic in a covered skillet with butter while I peeled and diced the tiny squash. I added the squash to the pan with a splash of white wine, covered and let it braise until tender, about 20 minutes. I stirred it occasionally to make sure the squash wasn't sticking.

I put the beans in a covered pot with a little water over low heat. While they warmed, I puréed about 2 tbsp of rosemary, 1 tbsp of thyme, a small clove of garlic and a good glug of olive oil in the blender. I added a little water to thin the sauce, then poured it in with the beans. The piny aromas stimulated our appetites.

I turned to the turnips, which turned out to be watermelon radishes. You can see how I cooked them here.

It was a lovely dinner - a contrast of flavors and colors: orange, buttery squash; sharply aromatic beans; and peppery green and red radishes.

Cooking Radishes

Sautéed Radishes

I love getting to the Hollywood Farmers Market early - before it opens at 8 a.m. - and getting all my shopping done before the crowds show up.

A downside is that the farmers haven't completely finished setting up, and their nifty signs aren't always in place next to their vegetables.

Last week I bought a beautiful bunch of tiny turnips. When it came time to cook them, however, I realized they were watermelon radishes.

Have you tried one of these? They're white on the outside, then have a ring of pale green and then are pink on the inside. They really do look like small watermelons.

I decided to cook them the way I had intended to cook the turnips. After all, I was cooking dinner and needed a side dish.

I warmed a little butter in a small skillet, then tossed in the quartered radishes. I added a splash of water and a little salt, covered the skillet, and let the radishes cook until they were almost tender, about 5 minutes. I checked occasionally to make sure they weren't browning too much, adding a spoonful of water as needed.

While they cooked I washed and coarsely chopped the radish greens.

I removed the roots from the pan, added the greens with the water that was clinging to them, and sprinkled on a little salt and pepper. I covered the pan and let them cook over medium-low heat until they were tender. I added the radishes back in to let it all warm through, and served it.

With turnips I usually add garlic to the butter, but the radishes were great with just a little salt and pepper.

Sunday Shopping

It's definitely fall at the Hollywood Farmers Market — we bought the first organic quinces and pomegranates of the season.

We're missing Ha's Apple Farm — we hope they return to the market soon. We actually forgot to buy eggs today. It will be a week of supermarket eggs — we'll never forget farmers' market eggs again!

Here's a list of the organic produce we brought home with us:
3 red bell peppers, 2 jalapeños, 2 grapefruit, red grapes, 2 pomegranates, 2 quinces, 1 green pepper, purple curly kale, 2 zucchini, 2 garlic, 2 onions, 1 bunch of tiny turnips with their greens.

We also bought a hand of non-organic but locally grown ginger root.

Zucchini and Peppers with Feta

It is so easy to make yummy and visually appealing vegetable side dishes during harvest season.

Last night I reheated a bean and rice casserole for dinner. While it was warming in the toaster oven, I made this colorful vegetable sauté.

While a little olive oil warmed in a small skillet, I chopped a small red onion and slivered a half an orange pepper I found in the salad drawer of the fridge. I added these to the oil with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and let them sauté while I chopped a zucchini and diced a half tomato left over from lunch. These went in too with a little more salt and pepper. Then I cooked it over medium heat until the zucchini skin was tender. (Late season zucchini often has tougher skin, I find.)

As a finishing touch, I sprinkled some feta over the vegetables, turned off the heat and covered the pan. I let it sit while I took the casserole from the toaster oven and set the table.

It was a colorful companion to a delicious but brown rice and bean casserole.

Sunday Shopping

It was cool and overcast at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning. I wore my hoodie for the first time since spring — fall is in the air.

We took our new shopping cart for a test run. It's big and flat and really should not be used when the market is full of people. But we're there before opening time when there's still space to move, so we felt okay about using it.

I was concerned that I would buy far too much food if I didn't need to worry about us carrying it in our cloth shopping bags. Would the cart make it too easy to splurge on pounds of produce?

Well, I think I did a good job of sticking to my list. The watermelon is probably the one thing I would not have bought if we didn't have the cart. And that would have been sad.

Here's a list of the organic produce we brought home with us: baby spinach, green pepper, orange pepper, 2 bunches of carrots, 2 onions, red pepper, cilantro, avocado, cipolline onions, 3 tomatoes, 9 oranges, watermelon, 6 corn, 1 dozen eggs, crenshaw melon, celery, 3 apples, ambrosia melon, 2 oval zucchini, 1 very small butternut squash, 2 peaches and some (non-organic) feta.

We also bought a basil plant from Logan.

Tofu and Peppers

We enjoyed this simple dinner of Tofu and Peppers last night — simple in preparation yet rich in flavor.

The tofu is marinated in red Thai curry paste for an hour or so — I did this then went out to putter in the garden. A couple of hours later, I sautéed onions and peppers to yumminess. They served as a bed for the fried tofu, and a blender sauce of poblanos, onions and garlic provided the final flavor boost.

With roasted poblanos in the freezer, the meal was a snap to make.

I've previously made this dish with green Thai curry paste — also delicious. The poblanos I used this time were stashed in the freezer late last fall, when the peppers at the Hollywood Farmers Market were fully ripe red instead of the usual green. If I'd used green poblanos, the sauce would have been green not red. Then I might have used green Thai chili paste for color coordination.

Tofu and Peppers
14oz container firm tofu
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, halved then sliced lengthwise in strips
1 red pepper, 1 green pepper and 1 orange pepper (I used a handful of orange lipstick peppers), cored,
seeded and slivered lengthwise
2 poblanos, roasted and peeled
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 shallot, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime

Cooking the tofu

Drain tofu and press for 5-10 minutes in a towel with a weight (like a jar of beans) on top. Cut it lengthwise into roughly 1/2 inch slices. Combine the curry paste with 1 tbsp water. Spread it on both sides of the tofu. Let sit at room temperature at least an hour. (2-3 hours is fine.)

Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Cook the onion and peppers until soft and delicious.

Meanwhile, warm the other tbsp of oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tofu and let cook until crispy on one side, then flip and cook the other side. You can also cook the edges if you like.

While these are cooking, put the roasted and peeled poblanos in the blender along with the garlic, shallot, 1/2 cup olive oil and lime juice. Purée until smooth.

Put the peppers on a plate. Top with tofu, then pour the sauce liberally on top.

Serves 2 with extra sauce for another day.

Slow Cooker Red Pepper Soup

I love red pepper season - there's nothing like that fresh sweetness, so during the next couple of months I will be indulging.

On Sunday I made this simple supper of beans and peppers cooked in the slow cooker. A little chipotle in adobe added the heat that played beautifully off the sweet peppers, and the beans made it a good stick-to-the-ribs meal after a day of gardening.

I pre-cooked some pinquito beans (28 minutes in the pressure cooker) for the soup. Other days I've used green lentils instead and added them in raw, adding an extra 2 cups of water for them to cook in. Sometimes I use half cooked beans and half lentils. You really can't go wrong with legumes.

Slow Cooker Red Pepper Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
2 red peppers, cored and chopped
1 cup pinquito beans, cooked (yields about 3 cups cooked beans - you can use 4 cans of beans instead)

Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until it softens, then stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add chipotle and cook, stirring another minute. Stir in the red peppers and let them cook 2-3 minutes until they are beginning to soften. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker, making sure to get all the brownish bits off the bottom of the skillet.

Stir in the cooked beans and 3 cups water.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little red wine vinegar in if needed to balance the sweetness, or a little olive oil for richness.

Serves 8

The red peppers and onions before going in the slow cooker.

Chickpea Salad

Bean salads are the ultimate portable vegetarian lunch. They are high in protein and fiber from the beans, vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and herbs, and don't need to be kept refrigerated — although an ice pack in the lunch bag is a good idea.

This week, we're taking this chickpea salad with cilantro and celery to work. It doesn't have a lot of dressing on it, so we're less likely to drip oil on our shirts, and it's full of fresh flavors and crunchy textures that make it a pleasure to eat.

You can take this recipe as a guide and switch out ingredients depending on what is in your fridge: parsley and mint for the cilantro, green peppers and radishes for the celery, scallions for the red onion. With bean salads, the possibilities are endless.

I particularly like the munchiness of chickpeas, but I've yet to find a dried bean that doesn't make a good salad. The key is to cook them until they are tender, not mushy. You can use canned beans, of course, but they don't taste quite as good.

Dried beans are worth getting to know. If you have a pressure cooker, you can cook up a batch of chickpeas in under half an hour. Or you can cook them in the slow cooker overnight. Or simmer them for a few hours on the back burner of the stove. Extra beans can be frozen, although when they're defrosted they're better in stews and soups than in salads — the freezing makes them a little mushy.

Once the beans are cooked, it's a snap to toss them with dressing and vegetables for a mouthwatering dish that will fill the lunch box for a few days.

Chickpea Salad
1 cup dried chick peas (or 2 cans)

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

2 tbsp chopped red onion

salt and pepper

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Cook and drain the chickpeas. Put them in a bowl and add the two vinegars and plenty of salt and pepper. Let come to room temperature.

Stir in the celery, cilantro and red onion. Toss well. Pour the olive oil over top and toss again.

Serves 4-6.

Sunday Shopping

It was warm even in the early morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market today. Many stalls were surrounded by netting, and others have it draped over some of their produce in efforts to discourage the foreign fruit fly. It added to the strangeness of the shopping experience.

Here's a list of the organic food we came home with:
1 shallot, 2 onions, 1 red onion, 1 green pepper, 3 red peppers, cherry tomatoes, Mike's Firehouse pepper jack cheese, 2 potatoes, 1 garlic, watermelon, ambrosia melon, orange lipstick peppers, radishes, celery, cilantro, 12 oranges, 2 dozen eggs from Rocky Canyon Farms.

Butternut Squash Risotto

We harvested our two ripe honeynut squash yesterday, and turned them into this delicious risotto for dinner.

I don't think I've ever eaten such fresh winter squash — 3 hours from garden to table — and they were sweet and yummy.

In the past I've made this risotto with older butternut squash and it was great too.

Of course, it is hard to go wrong with risotto, especially if you use excellent vegetable stock.

Butternut Squash Risotto

1/2 cup finely diced onion

3/4 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped in 1/2" pieces (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 cups arborio rice

1/4 cup white wine

3-4 cups vegetable stock

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground white pepper
few grinds black pepper

1/4 cup parmesan

Melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and squash. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent.

Bring the stock to a boil and keep it warm over low heat in a covered saucepan.

Add the arborio rice to the onions and squash and let it toast slightly, stirring a few times, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the salt and white pepper.

Add the white wine. Stir a few times until it is evaporated. Add a ladleful of stock. Stir. Let the stock absorb into the rice, then add more stock. Keep adding stock, stirring, and letting it simmer until it's absorbed by the rice. Then add more.

When the rice is tender, add a few grinds of black pepper and the parmesan, and serve.

Serves 2-3

Spaghetti Squash Tacos

The most surprising thing I've learned in this summer of broadening my barbecue skills is that spaghetti squash cooked on the grill is mouthwateringly delicious.

So when I saw barbecued spaghetti squash tacos on the menu at 38°Alehouse and Grill on Saturday night, I had to give them a try.

(It's too hot to sit outside and eat, let alone grill, so this was our Labor Day barbecue. Larry had a burger.)

The spaghetti squash was cooked, shredded, and dowsed in a lot of spicy-sweet barbecue sauce. It actually looked a little like shredded pork, but not enough to gross me out.

Pickled onions, guacamole, salsa — they were great tacos. I'm going to have to do more experimenting with spaghetti squash.

Sunday Shopping

It was hot and muggy at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning. We rushed our shopping and left by 8:15 a.m., feeling bad for the farmers who'll be there all day.

It's too hot to sit around a grill so we will forgo our traditional Labor Day barbecue. We stocked up on salad items and on fresh ginger root for refreshing cold ginger tea.

Here's what we brought home with us:
2 onions, 1 cup cremini mushrooms, 5 shallots, 1 red onion, 4 large tomatoes, 2 lbs ginger root, 1 cucumber, 3 red chiles, 1 muskmelon, 3 orange lipstick peppers, cherry tomatoes, 2 gala apples, 1 dozen eggs, feta, 3 grapefruit, 1 romaine lettuce, 12 oranges, 3 yellow onions.

Heirloom Tomato Risotto

The risotto is almost cooked.

With this excessive heat, the leaves on our tomato plants are turning brown and crumbling, the eggplants are wilting and the zucchini have stopped flowering. I head out in the evening to spray water on their leaves, but it evaporates almost as soon as it lands.

Last night I picked all our remaining tomatoes — ripe and almost ripe — and made this risotto. It's one of our favorites, and I only make it in late summer when the tomatoes are rich and lush. I add some less ripe ones to get a little acid in the mix. It's truly scrumptious.

Usually I peel the tomatoes, which is easy — see how I do it here. But I'd just gone outside in 100° temperatures to pick the tomatoes. I had no desire to stand over a pot of boiling water. So we had barely noticeable little rolled up pieces of tomato peel in our risotto.

Of course, as with all risottos, an excellent stock is necessary. My favorite is one I make in the slow cooker — first roasting the vegetables to create a wonderful deep flavor. You can find my recipe for it here. I always have a few cups stashed in the freezer. It's so deeply concentrated that I use half stock and half water in risotto, and an even smaller proportion of stock in soup.

Heirloom Tomato Risotto
1 lb 8 oz heirloom tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 - 4 cups stock (or combination of water and stock)
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup parmesan

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and cook until the onion starts to turn golden, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer.

Add the rice to the onion, stirring until each grain is coated with oil. Pour in the wine, stir, and let simmer until the wine is absorbed. Then start adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, letting it absorb before adding more. Stir a little, but not constantly.

Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes if desired. Then core and chop them into 1 1/2 inch chunks, saving the juice. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet. Cook the garlic a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and their juice along with some salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring only a couple of times. Set aside until you're ready to use it.

About 15 minutes after adding the rice to the skillet, pour in the cooked tomatoes and their juices. Stir and let cook until the rice is tender and the risotto is moist and loose.

Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and parmesan.

Serve with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 2-3

Morning Fruit

When it's this hot, even our morning fruit becomes more simple.

This morning we greeted the day with a bowl of cool ripe organic cantaloupe.

Red Pepper and Potato Frittata

 It's been too hot to cook this week, so we've been enjoying leftovers for dinner each night. One of my favorites has been this red pepper and potato frittata that I originally made for brunch on Sunday. Cold with a green salad it made good dinners too.

Often frittatas like this include bacon. The key to getting good flavor without the bacon is to brown the onions until they are deep golden in places. A few bits stuck to the skillet are no bad thing, just unstick them before pouring in the eggs.

The other key flavor is the fresh oregano. It adds a green base note that offsets the sweet pepper and salty cheddar.

This is the beginning of red pepper season, and I can think of no better way to start it than with this frittata.

Red Pepper and Potato Frittata
1 potato, peeled and cut in 1/4 inch dice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
8 eggs
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 cup grated cheddar

Put the potato cubes in a saucepan, cover with cold water and add a little coarse salt. Bring to the boil, covered, and simmer until just tender. This will take 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the cubes. Pierce with the tip of a knife to see when they're done. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch cast iron skillet (or other oven-proof skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper, onions, and a sprinkling of salt. Sauté 5 minutes or so until tender and the onions are starting to brown. Add cooked potato, garlic and oregano. Sauté another minute or so until it smells great and the onions are well-colored. Smooth the vegetables out, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any stuck pieces.

Whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let cook until the eggs are set around the edges, 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.

The center will still be wet. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and place the skillet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and browned. This will take about 3 minutes. As you can see in the picture, mine got very dark in places. Larry allowed as to how that tasted even better.

Let the frittata stand a minute before cutting into it.

Serves 6-8

Sunday night pasta

This year we're growing a lovely Italian heirloom zucchini called Ortolana di Faenza. (We bought the seeds from Renees Garden. And yes, we're also growing the climbing zucchini Trombetta di Albenga. It is not fruiting yet because it's still working on world domination.)

Ortolana di Faenza has pale green striped zucchini that we've been picking at about 6 inches long. I sliced some into very thin strips and tossed them with hot pasta with black olives, walnuts, fresh herbs and lots of garlic for a great Sunday supper from our garden.

Here's what I did:

Fettuccine with Zucchini and Herbs
1 3/4 lb slender zucchini
1 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced black olives
1/2 tsp dried crushed chiles
1 lb fettuccine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mint, thinly sliced
2-3 zucchini flowers, thinly sliced

Cut the ends off the zucchinis and cut them in about 3 inch chunks. Carefully slice them lengthwise into thin ribbons — I used a mandolin. Then cut each ribbon into narrow strips. Put them in a colander over a large bowl and sprinkle with the sea salt. Toss gently and let sit for 10 minutes. Then rinse the salt off and drain the zucchini well. Finally, spread them on a kitchen towel, cover with another towel, and roll them up. Press gently then set them aside so the towels absorb a lot of the moisture.

In a large serving bowl, combine the garlic, olives and chiles. Bash them together a little to form a paste.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain, reserving a half cup of the pasta cooking water.

Add the pasta to the serving bowl with the olive oil and 1/4 cup pasta water. Toss well. Add the zucchini, walnuts, half the parmesan, and all the basil and mint. Toss again and season with salt and pepper. Add more pasta cooking water if the dish is too dry.

Sprinkle the zucchini flowers on top and serve the extra parmesan on the side.

Serves 4

zucchini flowers, purple basil and mint

Sunday Shopping

We've been buying our weekly groceries at the Hollywood Farmers Market for over a decade. While seasons can be tough to discern in Los Angeles — especially with recent temperatures like 100° in March! — we enjoy watching seasonal produce rotate through the market.

While asparagus is available 9 months of the year, red peppers appear in late August and leave in December. Blink and you miss cherry season. All apples — even storage apples — are gone by May, only to reappear fresh and crisp in late July.

So returning to the market after skipping a week always seems like an adventure. I had expected red peppers to make their arrival — and they did — but I didn't expect netting to be draped everywhere, or that Ha's Apple Farm stand would not be there.

It was quite disconcerting.

It seems a mysterious foreign fruit fly has emerged on the streets of Hollywood, and the farmers were asked to spread netting to prevent the flies from laying eggs on their produce which would travel for miles in customers' shopping bags, possibly creating widespread damage to local farms. Prevention is great — especially non-toxic approaches like netting — but it sure looked weird.

Even weirder was the lack of Ha's Apple Farm stand, which we have depended on for years for eggs and apples. Rumor has it they'll be gone for 6 months. I hope they're okay. Market officials would not tell me anything specific.

So, an unsettling morning. Fortunately Finley Farms had red peppers, so my plans to over-indulge in them this week are intact.

Here's what we came home with:
4 potatoes, garlic, 2 yellow onions, 2 red onions, cilantro, dill, chives, 7 red peppers, 6 corn, butter lettuce, romaine lettuce, 2 cucumbers, 6 plum tomatoes, 2 dozen eggs (one from Jared, one from Rick), 2 melons, shisito peppers, small orange lipstick peppers, 12 oranges and 4 grapefruit.

And Russ sharpened a knife for us while we shopped.

Sunday Shopping

We did not go to the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday because we were in Portland, OR to watch the eclipse. On the plane our seat mate had told us of stories in the Seattle newspapers predicting Armageddon — so many cars that people would be stuck on the freeways for hours if not days. They were recommending everyone carry 3 days of food, water and toilet paper.

We planned to drive south on Monday to get into the totality. In preparation we headed to Whole Foods (conveniently located near Powell's Books) to stock up for a picnic — and lots of snacking. We also found an independent store called World Market (not Cost Plus) that had a great selection of organic food.

Surprisingly, most of the organic produce at Whole Foods came from California. Fortunately they had local cheese. World Market had local cherries and McVittie's chocolate digestive biscuits.

Here's what we loaded up with:
bread from Pearl bakery, 2 nectarines, 1 tomato, cherries, McVitties chocolate digestive biscuits, cashews, almonds, 2 pink lady apples, 1 banana, peanut butter cookies, 1 St. Benoit plain yogurt, green grapes, Sleeping Beauty organic cheese from Cascadia, Hannah Bridge cheese from Heritage Dairy, plantain chips, 2 Theo chocolate bars - ginger and salted almond.

We were ready for anything.

Omelet with Tomatillo Salsa

Sunday brunch is one of my favorite meals. We return from the market laden down with colorful produce that we unpack on our sunny kitchen table. Then Larry squeezes fresh oranges while I make some combination of eggs and carbs. We enjoy a leisurely meal with the Sunday papers. Last week, I decided to add a little zest to our brunch by pouring tomatillo salsa on our omelets.

Tomatillo salsa is easy to make. You can find my recipe for it here. Even better, it freezes well. I set some out on the counter to defrost while we were at the Market, ready to heat and serve when we returned.

The omelet was thick with mushrooms, cheese, peppers and cilantro. The sauce added zest, and a few breakfast potatoes rounded out the plate.

Sunday mornings are really great around here.

Omelet with Tomatillo Salsa
3/4 cup tomatillo salsa
4 eggs
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp butter, divided use
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
5 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup grated cheese — half jack, half cheddar
1 tbsp cilantro

Warm the salsa and set it aside.

Whisk together the eggs, onion, salt and pepper.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sauté red pepper and mushrooms until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet. Add eggs. Cook without stirring until they begin to set, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with vegetables, cheese and cilantro. Cover skillet and cook until the cheese melts and the eggs are set, about 2-3 minutes.

Fold the omelet in half, then cut it in half and serve on two plates. Pour the warm salsa on top.

Serves 2

Greek Salad

Our tomatoes are starting to really produce. I used them in this Greek style salad the other night. Sadly our cucumbers are suffering from drought. Fortunately the organic farmers at the Hollywood Farmers Market have my back.

The key to a good Greek salad is crunchy vegetables to offset the soft tomatoes, feta and olives. I vary them depending on what's available. This is my standard recipe. If you have mint in the garden, it makes a great addition.

Greek Salad
1/2 red onion
1 tsp white vinegar
3 medium or large tomatoes
1 cucumber
1/2 green pepper
romaine lettuce
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
2-3 oz feta, crumbled
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
12 kalamata olives, pitted if desired

Cut onion in slivers. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Add the white vinegar. Let sit at least 10 minutes.

Chop the tomatoes. Peel and seed the cucumber. Cut in bite-sized pieces. Cut pepper in slivers.

Drain the onion.

Chop the lettuce and put in a large bowl. Add the drained onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. Whisk together the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more oil if desired, but it should be a sharp dressing. Toss the dressing with the vegetables.

Put the vegetables on a platter. Sprinkle the feta, mint and olives over top.

Serves 3-4

Barbecued Flatbreads

I have read a lot about cooking pizza on the grill, but I've never tried it.

But since this is the summer to broaden my barbecue horizons, I decided to try grilling dough. I started small with sourdough flatbreads. They were great with grilled corn, sprouted chickpea hummus and Greek salad.

I usually make these flatbreads on my cast iron skillet, but the barbecue added a smoky flavor that went exceptionally well with the za'atar I sprinkled on them.

This recipe makes a lot of flatbreads, but they freeze well. I put them in a freezer bag with wax paper between each one, and they defrost quickly in the toaster oven as a quick snack with hummus or salad.

It's important to start the dough for the flatbreads a couple of hours before you plan to grill them. The dough can then rest for up to 12 hours, so you have a lot of flexibility. I make it in my stand mixer, which frankly makes it far too easy to make flatbreads. You have been warned.

Barbecue Flatbreads with Za'atar

3 oz sourdough starter

1 2/3 cup white flour

5 cups white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

5 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

za'atar (see below)

Combine the starter in a bowl with 3/4 cup water and 1 2/3 cups flour. Cover and let rest at room temperature until bubbly — about 10 minutes depending on the warmth of your kitchen and the vigor of your starter.

In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine 5 cups bread flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 5 tsp sugar. Add 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 oz (by weight) of the bubbly starter (otherwise known as levain). Return the rest of the levain to your sourdough jar in the fridge. It will invigorate what is there.

Mix to a stiff dough, then keep kneading with the dough hook for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a silicon lid. Let the dough rest for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours. It should puff up a little.

Prepare the barbecue (or warm a cast iron skillet over high). Pinch off a piece of dough the size of a plum and roll it out on a floured board until it is a rough circle of at most 1/3" thick — preferably thinner. Place the dough on the hot grill or pan. Cook about 2 minutes until it is spotted. Brush the top with oil, sprinkle with za'atar, then flip and cook the other side about 10 seconds. Remove from the pan and serve immediately or cover with a towel to keep it warm.

Makes about 12 flatbreads.

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that is zesty and spicy and utterly irresistible. There are many recipes. This is the one I make: stir together 3 tbsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp ground sumac, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp salt.

Green Bean Salad with Mustard and Tarragon

Our bean vines are producing vigorously. Fortunately, I love green bean salad. I steam the beans until tender then toss them in a simple vinaigrette. I cook a pound at a time because they last well in the fridge, ready for a quick meal.

The other day I tossed them in a mustard vinaigrette to which I added a snippet of tarragon. It's worth finding a sunny well-drained spot for this perennial because its slight anise-y flavor gives a subtle boost to mustard vinaigrettes like this one.

Green Bean Salad
1 lb green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chopped tarragon
3/4 tsp salt
pepper
1-2 tbsp spring onion or chives of Egyptian walking onion

Steam beans until tender but still crunchy, 7-10 minutes. Plunge in an ice water bath to stop the cooking, then drain and pat them dry.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the beans and toss to coat. Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4

Sprouted Chickpeas

When I make hummus, I like to sprout the chickpeas before cooking them. Sprouting is supposed to suppress the enzymes that prevent us from fully digesting the chickpeas and getting all their nutrients.

I knew someone who turned raw sprouted chickpeas into hummus, but I found it hard to digest. Dried beans are meant to be well cooked, so after soaking and sprouting, I throw them in the pressure cooker.

I just sprout the chickpeas long enough to soften a little. The bulge where they would sprout gets a little bigger. No roots or leaves appear.

It takes a little advance planning to soak and sprout, but I find it makes a tastier hummus which requires less oil to make it soft and yummy.

First I soak a half pound of chickpeas in cold water on the counter overnight. In the morning, I drain them (saving the water for my houseplants) and spread them on a towel on a cookie sheet. There they sit (covered with another towel if I fear there are flies in the house) until I get home from work ready to cook them and turn them into hummus.

I cook them for about 15 minutes in my pressure cooker until they're very soft. Then I drain them and put them in the food processor with a clove of garlic, 3 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. I process until smooth and then add a large tablespoon of tahini, a sprinkle of salt and a half teaspoon of cumin. I then add water or olive oil to thin it to the desired consistency. Sometimes some extra lemon juice is required.

It lasts well in the fridge and is great with carrots and celery, making it a simple high-protein snack.