I Love You More Than Food

Category: Winter

  • Blanched Vegetable Salad with Lemon Ricotta and Shallot Vinaigrette

    Blanched Vegetable Salad with Lemon Ricotta and Shallot Vinaigrette

    Blanched Vegetable Salad Blanched Vegetable Salad with Shallot Vinaigrettewith Shallot Vinaigrette

    Blanched Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Ricotta and Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe

    Serves 4

    4 leaves butter leaf lettuce, washed
    1 watermelon radish, sliced thin with a mandolin
    1/2 C snap peas, trimmed and blanched in salted hot water for 30 seconds-1 min
    2 C broccoli and cauliflower in even, small pieces, blanched in salted hot water for 1 minute
    1/2 C ricotta cheese, fresh
    Zest of 1 lemon
    1 shallot, finely diced
    2 tsp djon mustard
    1 T olive oil
    2 T fresh lemon juice
    2 tsp fresh dill or tarragon, chopped finely (or 1/2 tsp dry and soaked in the lemon juice for a few minutes)
    salt & pepper to taste

    Set the ricotta out to room temperature. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and mustard together, and add the fresh herbs and shallot, along with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Leave to sit for 5-10 minutes (or store up to three days in refrigerator).

    Once you have prepared all of the vegetables (the snap peas, broccoli, and cauliflower not only need to be cut to an appropriate size, but also should be blanched for 30-60 seconds in salted, boiling water), assemble by placing lettuce at one end of plate, or off center on a round plate, and arranging the blanched vegetables from there.

    Use a spoon to drizzle dressing over the blanched vegetables, then mix the ricotta with a bit of salt and the lemon zest. Top the salad with a quenelle of ricotta, and a few slices of watermelon radish.

  • Rack of Lamb with Winter Vegetables

    Rack of Lamb with Winter Vegetables

    Warm Winter Vegetable Salad

    Winter Rack of Lamb Medium Rare

    The lamb I made according to my Weeknight Rack of Lamb Recipe–hands down the easiest, tastiest rack of lamb recipe you’ll come across. The special part of this that will make you feel extra good after eating is all the delicious vegetables. I took a smorgasboard of what I had in the refrigerator–you can do the same–and cut, washed, and blanched (cooked in salted, boiling water for a few brief minutes) all of it. I then dressed it while still warm with excellent, buttery Spanish olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.  Get creative!

    Warm Winter Vegetable Salad Recipe

    Serves 4
    1 sweet potato, cubed
    1/2 head romanesco or cauliflower (or 1/4 head of each), cut into small pieces
    1.5 C sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
    2T kosher salt (for boiling water)
    zest of 1 lemon
    1T olive oil

    Bring a pot of water to boil and add 2T kosher salt. Add the sweet potato, cooking for 90 seconds. Add the cauliflower/romanesco, and cook for 60 seconds more. Add the snap peas, and cook an additional 30 seconds. Drain all well, and serve with olive oil and lemon zest on top.

  • Easy Weeknight Rack of Lamb Recipe

    Easy Weeknight Rack of Lamb Recipe

    Weeknight Rack of Lamb

    This is painfully easy; it’s shamelessly stolen from artist Joanne Ruggles who treated a whole gaggle of us to it on New Years Eve this year. I’ve been making it every few weeks since–I even took a cooler pack of lamb with the ingredients up to Orr Hot Springs and made lunch out of it on a weekday–after which several people who saw me preparing it in their wonderful kitchen asked me for the recipe. Yeah, that good!

    Easy Weeknight Rack of Lamb Recipe

    Rack of Lamb, however much you want, trimmed of fat (this is important! slice that stuff off or you’ll be gnawing on it)
    Sweet Mustard
    Montreal Steak Seasoning shamelessly purchased from Costco (Yeah, I know. This is a serious tangent from this blog).

    Oven, 400 degrees. Slather that trimmed lamb with mustard, even the bones. Generously coat it in the steak seasoning. Throw it on some foil and put it in the oven for about 20-35 minutes, until medium or medium rare. If you like your lamb more cooked than that then you don’t deserve to make this.

    Serve it with anything! A big salad, some couscous, zucchini, asparagus, sauteed chard or spinach..Whatever!

  • Ginger-Miso Soba Noodles with Crisp Tofu & Red Cabbage Recipe

    Ginger-Miso Soba Noodles with Crisp Tofu & Red Cabbage Recipe

    Ginger-Miso Soba Noodles with Crisp Tofu & Red Cabbage

    A recipe for a quick and healthy weeknight meal; this is versatile, feel free to swap scallions for chives or spring onions, tofu for a tablespoon or two of raw cashews, red cabbage for arugula, napa cabbage, spinach, turnip greens or any other thing you’ve got hanging around.

    Ginger-Miso Soba Noodles with Crisp Tofu & Red Cabbage Recipe
    Serves 2

    2 rolls dry soba noodles (pre-bundled by most manufacturers)
    1/2 pack tofu (enough for two people), cubed
    1/4 head red cabbage, shredded thinly
    2 scallions (green onions), sliced thinly on the diagnoal
    2 T golden or light miso (just not the really really dark mugi type stuff)
    1 T fresh grated ginger
    2 tsp mirin
    2 tsp soy sauce
    2 tsp sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
    sesame seeds
    olive oil

    In a skillet, heat olive oil to medium high heat. Press dry your tofu and cube it, fry it in the oil turning every minute or two until golden all around. Set side if you’re done with it ahead of time.

    Bring a big pot of water to boil, add a tablespoon of salt and boil the soba. Plunge them into a bowl of room temp water when they’re cooked to rinse.  It’s important to rinse the starchy coating off soba.

    Whisk together the miso, mirin, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil until smooth. Add a touch of salt if needed.

    Add the soba to the fried tofu pan (while it’s still hot or you bring it back up to temperature), tossing. Add the sauce and toss until warm, in the hot pan over a medium flame, mixing in half the cabbage. Separate two servings into bowls, top with remaining cabbage and scallions, and a touch of sesame seeds.

  • Raw Vegan Chili Recipe and Raw Sour Cream

    Raw Vegan Chili Recipe and Raw Sour Cream

    I know what you’re thinking, but it’s really not that bad. It’s possible someone slipped some patchouli or some hemp seeds or some godknowswhat into my breakfast smoothie, but this stuff is seriously tasty, and it’s good for you, and it’s better for the environment than the alternative. And I’m going to keep making it.

    Raw Vegan Chili with Vegan Ground Meat and Cashew Sour Cream

    Great served with Raw Burger Patties (meatless/vegan).

    Raw Cashew Sour Cream

    Makes about 1.5 cups

    1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 hours
    1 cup water
    juice of 1 lemon
    1 clove garlic
    1/2 tsp kosher salt

    Puree all ingredients in a high speed blender. Chill to achieve thicker consistency. Can be used as a base for creamy dips and sauces. Good for about a week in a mason jar sealed tight.

    Raw Vegan Chili Recipe
    Makes about 6 servings
    1 portabello mushroom, diced finely
    1/2 red bell pepper, diced finely
    1/2 sweet onion, diced finely
    2 stalks celery, diced finely
    1 cup raw almonds, soaked 24-36 hours
    2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch coins or so
    1.5 C sundried tomatoes, soaked in water 5-12 hours
    1.5 C fresh water or water from soaking tomatoes
    2 T tamari, namu shoya, or soy sauce
    2 tsp chili powder
    1 tsp cayenne
    1 tsp salt

    Chop carrots and almonds in a food processor until chunky. Add to diced veggies.

    Puree tomatoes, tomato juice or water, and all spices/seasonings in a high speed blender until smooth. Mix everything together and warm in dehydrator or let sit room temp for a few hours to soften. Serve warm (if possible) with cashew sour cream. If you made the meatless meat patties, tear one apart for each serving and mix into 1 cup of raw chili to make “meat.”

  • Truffled Romanesco with Yogurt Sauce & Pomegranate

    Truffled Romanesco with Yogurt Sauce & Pomegranate

    Truffled Romanesco with Yogurt and Pomegranate

    About six months ago I switched to a new CSA/Farm Shipment service–Eatwell Farms. I’ve been fantastically happy with them, and lately I’ve given a few of their suggested recipes a try. Most CSA services give recipes with their products, which I’d assume is mostly to help those who have never eaten kohlrabi, or don’t know what to do with an eggplant. That said, the recipes from Eatwell have been especially tasty ideas and have been great at combining multiple things from the shipment into one dish.

    This romesco recipe is adapted from one of their more recent blog entries.

    Truffled Romanesco with Yogurt Sauce & Pomegranate Recipe

    1 head romanesco, green cauliflower, or cauliflower, chopped smartly and evenly
    1/2 tsp ground cumin
    1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed
    1 tsp Balti seasoning or a bit of garam masala; if you can’t get either, use more cumin and maybe a bit of paprika
    1/2-1tsp kosher salt
    1/2 C whole milk yogurt (I used the thin, Russian style Pavel’s)
    2-3 tsp Turkish Seasoning or a mixture of oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, sumac and a pinch of cayenne
    1/2 a pomegranate’s seeds (about 1/3rd cup)
    2 T white truffle butter or 1 tsp truffle oil
    olive oil

    Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet to medium high. Add the romanesco or cauliflower and the salt. Cook until some brown bits occur and the cauliflower is mostly soft. Add the cumin, balti, and caraway seeds and toss. Add the truffle butter and turn off the heat, stirring to melt.

    Transfer to an oven-safe serving dish and either keep warm for up to 1 hour or place immediately under the broiler for 1 minute to carmelize the top and make it crispy. Mix the Turkish seasoning with the yogurt and add salt to taste. Upon serving, pour the yogurt over the dish and add pomegranate seeds on top.

    I like to share this one as an appetizer over wine and a block of good sheep or goat’s cheese.
    [schema type=”recipe” name=”Truffled Romanesco with Yogurt Sauce & Pomegranate” author=”Caroline Cadwell” image=”http://iloveyoumorethanfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/romesco.jpg” description=”A fresh, easy, and impressive way to use romanesco or cauliflower, served family style, with a mediterranean edge.” ingrt_1=”1 head romanesco or other variety of cauliflower, chopped in nice size slices” ingrt_2=”1/2 tsp ground cumin” ingrt_3=”1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed” ingrt_4=”1 tsp balti seasoning or garam masal” ingrt_5=”1/2-1tsp kosher salt” ingrt_6=”1/2 C whole milk yogurt” ingrt_7=”2-3 tsp Turkish seasoning” ingrt_8=”1/2 a pomegranate’s seeds (about 1/3 C)” ingrt_9=”2 T white truffle butter or 1 tsp truffle oil” ingrt_10=”olive oil” instructions=”Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet to medium high. Add the romanesco or cauliflower and the salt. Cook until some brown bits occur and the cauliflower is mostly soft. Add the cumin, balti, and caraway seeds and toss. Add the truffle butter and turn off the heat, stirring to melt.

    Transfer to an oven-safe serving dish and either keep warm for up to 1 hour or place immediately under the broiler for 1 minute to carmelize the top and make it crispy. Mix the Turkish seasoning with the yogurt and add salt to taste. Upon serving, pour the yogurt over the dish and add pomegranate seeds on top.” ]

  • Heirloom Beans with Spinach & Pork Belly

    Heirloom Beans with Spinach & Pork Belly

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    An easy weeknight meal, greens and beans make a healthy, nicely balanced snack or meal. You can always add more meat or greens to suit your taste & dietary needs.[/donotprint]

    Vallarta Beans from Rancho Gordo (or other small-medium size firm bean)

    2 Cups spinach per serving

    1 inch cube smoked pancetta per serving, diced (can use regular pancetta too)

    Prep the beans by soaking for 6-8 hours in room temperature water. Strain and put the beans in a large pot, cover with 3 inches of water and simmer for 1-2 hours; do not boil, do not let the pot run dry. Strain and you can reserve for up to a week in the refrigerator.  Use 1/2 cup cooked beans per serving.

    Fry the pancetta in a medium hot pan; when beginning to brown add the beans and cook until hot. Add the spinach and cook until wilted; serve.

  • Whole Lemon Bars Using Whole Meyer Lemons

    Whole Lemon Bars Using Whole Meyer Lemons

    [donotprint]lemon bars with whole meyer lemons

    A very lovely coworker surprised me a few days ago with a gigantic bag of meyer lemons from a family tree in Napa. I sent about 1/3rd of them to my mom, used several in smoothies (which are not so blog worthy and are certainly very ugly looking with all the chard and other hippie hoo-da I’ve been drinking up, thus, the blog has been rather neglected lately for my newfound need to eat more vegetables in very boring forms), and the rest are either in these lemon bars or waiting to be devoured in the coming days.

    This recipe is only slightly modified from David Lebovitz’s Whole Lemon Bars recipe, with my notes and adjustments below. My favorite frequent visitor to Paris (who has on several occasions rubbed shoulders with Mr. Labovitz at certain company events!)  is coming for dinner Sunday and I imagine I’ll find some new, delightful way to use the lemons in our meal. You, reader, can look forward to that!
    [/donotprint]
    I did make these by weight and recommend you do the same if possible.

    Crust
    1 C flour (140g)
    1/4 C sugar (50g)
    1 stick butter, melted (113-115g)
    1/2 tsp vanilla

    Topping
    2.5 small organic meyer lemons
    3/4 C sugar (150g)
    3 large eggs
    4 tsp corn starch
    1/4 tsp salt
    3 T melted butter (45g)

    Powdered sugar for top

    Oven to 350–line a 8×8 inch pan in foil as smoothly as possible, matte side of the foil touching the bars/filling. Get the foil crisply into the corners.

    Mix the flour, 1/4C sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, stick melted butter and vanilla until just smoothly combined. Distribute the dough into the bottom of the pan evenly using hands or a spatula.  Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

    While crust is cooking, cut lemons in half and remove seeds. In a blender (I used my wonderful vitamix, but if you have a regular blender you may want to chop the lemons a bit), pulverize two lemons and the juice of 1/2 a lemon with the sugar until mostly smooth, a few chunks are good. Add the eggs, corn starch, salt and the rest of the butter, blending until smooth.

    Pour the lemon topping onto the crust when it’s done cooking, reduce the heat to 300 and return the dish to the oven for 25 more minutes, or until it stops jiggling and is set.

    Remove from oven, let it cool COMPLETELY before messing with it, then cut with a very heavy sharp knife into squares! Consider topping with powdered sugar and serving with tea.

    I recommend NOT leaving these in an air-tight container as I foudn it to make them go very soggy very quickly. Foil wrapped in bunches works much better, at least in SF climate!

  • “Moon Viewing Noodles” – Udon with Pork & Sweet Potatoes

    “Moon Viewing Noodles” – Udon with Pork & Sweet Potatoes

    [donotprint]udon noodles with pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes "moon viewing noodles"

    The hiatus was not entirely my fault. We had an issue with the kitchen sink’s piping, which, once we went in to fix what seemed simple, turned into quite a mess of replacing one part after another, the crescendo being when the disposal decided to actually fall out.

    I was not very motivated to create more messes with no great way to clean them, and shortly after that was fixed the hot water decided to turn a lovely rusty brown. Anyway, we are all back in action and, I’m happy to say, fully functional again!

    About this time last year I began cooking lots of Japanese food, mainly from a great cook book I own called Washoku Kitchen ($24.50 at the time of this post)– “recipes for Japanese home cooking.” I picked it back up yesterday and started cooking, with a few modifications.

    The thing about good Japanese cooking is that the most delicious items seem to take many steps–5 ingredients, but each one you must create. A soy concentrate. A dashi. A miso mixture. It takes time, and works best if you start cooking a LOT of Japanese food, so you can make these things and use them more than once without duplicating efforts.

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    Udon noodles with pork & sweet potatoes/yams

    For 3-4 people as a main course
    12 oz fresh udon noodles, cooked*
    8 cups dashi with shitake**
    4 T seasoned soy concentrate***
    1/2 large sweet potato, peeled & cubed
    1/2 lb pork tenderloin, sliced thinly
    2 green onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

    Bring the dashi to a light simmer, adding the soy concentrate. Place the cooked udon noodles in heated bowls. Using a large skillet and a lightly flavored oil such as avocado, cook the sweet potato on medium high heat until color is deepened, adding a touch of salt.

    Add 1 T sake and 2 T water, and cover to steam 3-4 minutes. Push potatoes to side of pan and add pork, trying not to pile the pieces on top of each other. When pork is cooked, pour broth over noodles, add potatoes & pork to one side of bowl and sprinkle green onion over the top.

    *cooked in a wide, not too deep pot with plenty of water for 2 minutes boiling, then drained and rinsed in cool water

    **combine cold water with strip of kombu (thick kelp) and two dried shitake mushrooms. After 10 minutes, bring to just under a boil and then turn off. Add 1 cup unpacked bonito flakes (large tuna flakes). Let steep 2 minutes, then strain and return to clean pot

    ***Combine 2/3 cup soy, 1/3 cup sake, 1 dried shitake mushroom & 1/4 cup bonito or other tuna flakes, let steep 1hour-12 hours. Add 2T mirin, 3T water, 3T sugar. Bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/4. Strain and reserve.

  • Creamy winter citrus & crab salad

    Creamy winter citrus & crab salad

    [donotprint]Winter salad with citrus and creamy yogurt dressing

    [/donotprint]Creamy winter citrus salad with Crab

    For four:
    1 dungeness crab, picked for meat (or about 8 legs/1.25 lbs in-shell)
    2 small, tasty oranges
    2 grapefruit
    1 ripe avocado
    1/2 C pepitas (pumpkin seeds, raw preferably)
    3T plain greek yogurt
    1 shallot
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1 T good, mild olive oil
    bunch watercress
    bunch frisee

    Pick the crab meat and mince the shallot. Toast the pepitas in a hot pan, moving constantly for a few minutes. Zest the oranges and grapefruit a bit to get about 1-2 tsp of zest into a small bowl. Section the fruits by slicing the stem/flower ends off and cutting the pith away. Hold the fruit in your hand and cut* along the membranes to section the fruit out.

    Drain the excess juice into the zest bowl, and add the yogurt, shallot, lemon juice, olive oil and a bit of salt. Whisk together and let stand. Slice your avocado thinly and portion 1/4 for each serving. Dress the frisee and watercress in the creamy citrus dressing, and assemble the citrus segments, crab, avocado and pepitas on top.

    *If you’re afraid of doing this, watch a youtube video; if you’re still afraid, cut them in rounds instead.