Olive Pasta

One of my first cookbooks was a Williams-Sonoma pasta collection. They make several pasta cookbooks but this particular one is chock-full of recipes that utilize both fresh and dried pasta. It also includes recipes for pasta salads, soups, and risottos. It is one of my most loved cookbooks, although I cannot stand the shape of it. Because it is too large for my cookbook shelf it has to hide out on the bookshelf in the living room. This means that I often forget about it. Luckily, I have this recipe memorized, which has been affectionately called “olive pasta” by myself and my family for quite a few years.

Strawberry Salad

Growing up in Florida, we had access to some of the earliest and best strawberries around. The season there begins in December and is over by April. Out of loyalty, I have always chosen FL strawberries when local ones aren’t available, especially when they are from Plant City. Many years ago my family visited the strawberry festival held there. Memories are vague, consisting of walking around in a barn-like setting, petting some horses, and listening to bluegrass. One thing I do remember was a build-your-own shortcake bar. Mmmm….

Living now in NC I am forced to wait until April for strawberries. Here in Durham we have some excellent local strawberry farms. My favorite berries come from Vollmer Farms. Since strawberries are one of the foods on which the pesticide residue is the highest, I like that Vollmer Farms grows their berries organically. Each year I vow to make a pick-your-own trip so I can can some strawberry jam. I missed the opportunity yet again this year. But I did discover a mix of ingredients that makes a divine strawberry salad. I brought it to this year’s Hootenanny, where it was well loved.

Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tarts

The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

Like most of you, I had no clue what a bakewell tart was before beginning this challenge and had certainly never tasted one before. Basically, it is a tart that consists of 3 layers, a crust, a layer of jam/curd, and a layer of frangipane (spongy almond cake). This challenge came together quite easily and lent itself to lots of experimentation. Like many other Daring Bakers, I made tartlets so I could try many different fillings instead of sticking to one. Jasmine & Annemarie urged us to make our own jam or curd rather than using storebought. So in two tartlets I used blackberry jam left over from the oodles and oodles my mom and I made for the wedding. I also made a berry curd using some past-their-prime berries I had in the fridge.

Soy Banana Pudding

When I’m looking for a recipe for a classic dish, my first stop is always Joy of Cooking. Being enormous and timeless, it has a basic recipe for just about anything I can imagine cooking. I particularly love the vegetable section, which contains lengthy descriptions of each veggie and basic ways to prepare it, followed by several recipes per veggie. The many other sections also offer this same informative tone combined with an exhaustive list of recipes.

Around these parts, banana pudding is one such classic dish. Found on dessert menus everywhere, from barbeque joints to diners to the best restaurants in town, it holds a special place in the hearts of Southerners. Though only a semi-Southerner myself, I share with Jeff, a true-blood, a love for this homey dessert. Sadly, Jeff thought his banana pudding eating days were over due to dietary constraints. However, I’ve learned that in many milk-based dishes like puddings, soy milk can be substituted quite easily for cow’s milk. If you like soy milk for its health benefits, its gentleness on your stomach, or its taste, this recipe is for you. Besides swapping out the milk, I decreased the sugar a bit, took out the vanilla extract in favor of vanilla-flavored soy milk, and increased the cornstarch a bit to compensate for the lack of milkfat in soy milk. Curling up at the end of a long day with a bowl of this pudding is as comforting as it gets!

Beef Stir Fry

Stir fry is pretty straightforward, right? High heat, aromatics, meat, vegetables, sauce, & you’re done.  Yes, yes, yes, yes, and no. I’ve always been stuck on the sauce part, trying to find a combination that would yield the perfect balance of thick (not syrupy), flavorful (not watery), and sweet (not cloyingly so). This infinitely adaptable recipe creates the best sauce, hands down, I’ve ever made in my own kitchen. I probably rivals most I’ve had in any restaurant as well.

I’ve made it in its original version and with other vegetables.  Between our CSA and my impulsivity at the farmer’s market we’ve had an overflowing vegetable drawer, so I’ve been trying not to buy anything green from the store. So for this stir fry that meant spring onions & bok choy in lieu of the green beans. I did end up buying the shiitakes, as they are my favorite part. Anyone tried the shiitake vendor at the Durham Farmer’s Market? I’ll have to try them next time we’re in the mood for stir fry.

Daring Bakers Strudel

I can’t believe May is already coming to an end! This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was an apple strudel. I’ve been looking forward to this challenge all month because I like trying new types of pastry and could think of lots of filling ideas. However, I didn’t have the right setup at our house for this kind of project. The dough needs to be rolled out in the shape of a 2×3 rectangle and you need to be able to reach it from at least three sides. Our rectangular table has tiling that would have made the rolling impossible. Our other table has curved edges. Spatially challenged folks (me!) need clear boundary lines if we’re given such specific measurements. We were in the mountains this weekend, where there’s a large wooden table with plenty of space to walk around it. I decided it would make a good lazy afternoon project up there.

Though the kitchen is incredibly well stocked for being no larger than a closet, there is no stand mixer so I kneaded the dough by hand according to Linda’s directions. I tend to underknead and my dough kept sticking so I went longer than the 5 minutes she suggested – more like 8. I filled it with a cream cheese mixture (8 oz. blended with an egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and a splash of vanilla), some sliced almonds, a layer of raspberry jam, and a sprinkling of fresh raspberries. I was afraid too many fresh raspberries would make the pastry soggy and I didn’t have any cornstarch, hence the jam.

Beef & Black Bean Enchiladas

I can always be counted on to order enchiladas when we eat out at Tex-Mex restaurants. Usually I choose cheese – the cheesier the better, right? – but on the rare occasion I’m cheesed out, I’ll choose black bean or beef.

Once I realized that salsa verde has varying levels of spice, I’ve grown to love the green version of salsa that gets its color from tomatillos. This year I put a purple tomatillo plant in our garden. The woman I bought it from couldn’t offer much information as it was her first year growing them, but she said they taste the same as green ones. Hopefully I will be able to use them this summer in my own salsa verde. I guess it would be salsa morado… maybe not such an appetizing color in retrospect?

Daring Bakers Cheesecake

It’s Daring Bakers time! I missed March’s delicious-looking spinach lasagne, but I’m back in the swing of things for what I hope will be the rest of this year.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

For this challenge, Jenny gave us tons of culinary creativity. She encouraged us to experiment with a variety of flavors. After sorting through the many ideas floating around in my head  (nilla wafer crust, cassis, fresh raspberry sauce…. or chocolate wafer crust, espresso flavored cheesecake, chocolate sauce… or chocolate wafer crust, nutella swirl, frangelico, chopped hazelnuts…the possibilities were endless) I settled on what, looking back, was a rather surprising choice given my own personal tastes. How could I not have remembered that I really don’t care for caramel? I blame this on the fact that I was still reeling from the completion of my boards and was trying to make this cheesecake for a work gathering scheduled for a date only a few days after the dust had settled.