White Beans with Kale and Cabbage

I know you’re going to look at this picture and the title of this post and think: “Thanks, but no thanks.” It just doesn’t look or sound like anything special. But, please, stay just a moment longer and hear me out. This was one of the best recipes I’ve made all year.

Deborah Madison is a well-known cookbook author who is passionate about connecting folks to local farmers and food. She specializes in vegetarian cuisine and is therefore a master at creating recipes that center around the flavors and textures of vegetables. Though I grew up eating cabbage only in its raw form, via coleslaw or salads, I’ve come to appreciate its sweet flavor and buttery texture when cooked. And kale has been my best vegetable friend for more than a year now, after showing up weekly in our winter CSA box last year.

Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie

Don’t ask me why I haven’t capitalized on this fact in the past, but it just dawned on me that the library has a wealth of cookbooks available for checkout. I’ve been visiting our downtown branch about every other week lately to check out books on tape for my commute to Raleigh. Each time I visit, I pick out a couple of cookbooks to page through at home in the ensuing weeks. One of my more recent picks was The Foster’s Market Cookbook by Sara Foster. For some reason I don’t have this book, although I do have Fresh Every Day. For those of you not from this area who therefore don’t know about the wonder that is Foster’s Market, check out this website. Be prepared to drool.

This cookbook immediately had about 1/3 of its pages tagged with sticky notes. It was hard for me to pick the first recipe to try. But since my class schedule has been forcing me to prepare meals earlier in the day to reheat when Jeff and I return home, I focused on those that could be prepared entirely in advance. This has meant a lot of casseroles around here. It’s a good thing cooler weather is on the way, because I think my slow cooker is going to be my best friend in the coming months.

End of Summer Tomatoes

It’s the official first day of autumn. My favorite season is slowly creeping in. I anticipate this moment all year long and am looking forward to welcoming fall flavors in addition to fall temperatures. With the humidity today, it looks like I’ll have to wait a bit longer, which means I can still savor some summer recipes.

Here in the South this is a transitional culinary period for us. The farmer’s market is beginning to fill up with radishes, greens, beets, green beans, and pumpkins. However, they also have the last of the corn, peppers, and tomatoes. Tomato pie has been all the rage this summer, showing up in magazines and food blogs alike. My first inspiration for it came from Aunt Anne, who was gifted with a beautiful lime green pie dish for her birthday. Grammie gave her the present one night when we were all at the beach. She exclaimed that it would be perfect for Uncle Glenn’s favorite green tomato pie. This immediately piqued my interest. I never got a chance to ask her what the green tomato pie consisted of (Anne? Are you reading this?) but I began searching for recipes when I returned home. I quickly learned that green tomato pie is traditionally made with the same spices as apple pie, and probably has a quite similar taste. Though that thought was intriguing, I decided to put it on hold for the early fall. I then did some searching for a more savory tomato pie.

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.

A Taste of Home

Growing up as a gringo in South and Central Florida, my family and I grew to love Latin-American food of all kinds. My mom’s version of palomilla is a family favorite. I remember eating her arroz con pollo at countless special occasions. In high school my friends and I would use our lunch privileges to pick up papas rellenas from Rolando’s. Yuca and maduros (sweet plantains) are the base for many a food-related dream now that I live in NC where these items are out of reach unless prepared in my own kitchen.

In November, my best friend Vanessa married her college sweetheart who is a native of Guatemala. They had American food at their rehearsal dinner and wedding, so for Sunday brunch they had a catering company bring in Latin food. Though my sympathetic family always takes me to our new favorite Cuban restaurant when I visit, this was even better because I got to have a little of everything they offered – ropa vieja, carnitas, yuca, maduros, green beans, yellow rice, frijoles, etc. My only regret is that I missed the arepas because we had to rush to the airport for our flight. Before we had even arrived at the airport, I had vowed to make one of my personal favorites, ropa vieja, later that week for dinner.

Not Your Momma’s Chili

Branching Out

In continuing the trend of trying some dishes outside of our comfort zone, we went for this Indian-influenced chicken dish last week. Jeff, not the biggest fan of Indian cuisine, does love tandoori chicken, so I figured this was a good next step. I really loved this recipe. It was very forgiving and impressed me with its well-rounded, vibrant flavor. I didn’t plan ahead very well so I only marinated the chicken for about an hour but it didn’t seem to suffer. Halved, this recipe made enough for both of us with probably a portion and a half left over. We ate it with rice and store-bought naan. Substitutions/omissions are listed in bold.

Weeknight Blues

As you already know, we love pasta and olives around here. So it should come as no surprise that my pasta sauce of choice is puttanesca. I am not a big fan of jarred pasta sauce, although there is a great puttanesca version at Harris Teeter. But when it’s so easy (and cheap!) to put together your own sauce, why not? I admit that I frequently spend more time than I should in the kitchen on weeknights, but this meal comes together in no more than 15 minutes. It’s almost as good as the puttanesca sauce my father-in-law makes. He’s the only person I’ve met who rivals me in his love of all things olive.

Without cheese…