Ramp it Up

I can't remember exactly when I first heard someone mention ramps, but I do remember having absolutely no clue what they were talking about. And in fear of seeming "uncultured" I ignored the part of the conversation that I didn't understand and nodded my head sagely in agreement. Or at least this is what I picture myself doing. At long last I have discovered what in the world ramps are and I can nod my head knowingly without feeling guilty the next time someone brings them up. They are very similar to scallions and leeks, with a bit more of a garlic flavor than its cousins. They are native to North America and only available in the spring which might be why it's taken me so long to discover what they are. I bought a bundle of ramps the other day not knowing what I would use them for and because I have little to no planning skills I bought a fennel and a bunch of rainbow carrots and thought that SURELY I could make something appetizing with this trio.

I've had fennel on only two other occasions and because of it's strong licorice flavor it's not one of my favorite things to eat, but recently for whatever reason, it's wormed its way into my mind and I wanted to give it a try again. The rainbow carrots caught my eye simply because they are beautiful! Look at those colors! They beg you to buy and eat them. Biting into a raw carrot while slicing them for this recipe took me to heaven! Slight exaggeration... but they really are VERY good!

After cutting the ramps away from the green leaves I sliced them thinly with a pairing knife. Don't discard the greens, they are full of flavor and can be used in soups or stocks. I put mine in a freezer bag and added a little bit of water and sucked the air out and popped them in the freezer. Next, cut away the stems from the fennel, remove 1/2 inch off the bottom and cut it in half. Remove the core from each half. Slice thinly, lengthwise. Remove green stems from carrots, wash carrots thoroughly and slice thinly.

In a small bowl crack an egg and add water and beat slightly. Add to fennel mixture and combine with salt, pepper, thyme, and parm cheese. Add to baking dish and top with feta cheese.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add panko breadcrumbs. Watch closely and stir frequently until panko turns light brown and is toasted. Sprinkle panko over baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with more Parmesan cheese just before serving.

The final result: Wow! This stuff is good. And Joel's not here to sample it and affirm what I'm thinking, this is a winner! The fennel pairs perfectly with the delicate flavor of the ramps and the carrots add the needed color to make this dish really stand out. Luckily the licorice emanating from the fennel lessens after cooking and the result is a perfect balance of flavors.

Ramp, Fennel, and Carrot Gratin
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

6 ramps, greens removed, sliced thinly
8 rainbow carrots, sliced thinly
1 medium fennel, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup block feta cheese, sliced thinly
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 2.2 quart baking dish with vegetable spray. In a large bowl combine, ramps, fennel, and carrots. In a small bowl slightly beat egg and add water. Add egg to large bowl and combine thyme, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese; toss gently.  Place in oven proof baking dish and top with feta cheese. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add panko breadcrumbs and stir frequently until panko is toasted, about 3 minutes. Top panko breadcrumbs over dish and bake for 40 minutes.  Allow to cool before serving.


 up next... peanut butter stuffed jalapenos??

Tangy Buttered Beets

Like many people for years my only encounter with beets was during the holidays and out of a can, an unpleasant experience to say the least. I never touched them. I didn't like the texture, color, or smell emanating from the can and it was many years later after college that I was served freshly roasted beets and I'll never forget my surprise that something could taste so different prepared with fresh ingredients. Beets have a buttery, earthy flavor and they are super easy to prepare at home. If tasting delicious isn't enough to sway you to try this recipe then consider that beets pack a nutritional punch as well. They are high in folate, manganese, and potassium and the stems and leafs are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and calcium. So before you go chopping off the stems think twice, they cook up just as nicely as the beets themselves.

Beets come in purple, golden, or pink and white striped varieties and they all work interchangeably in this recipe. Look for beets with unblemished bulbs and bright green unwilted leaves for optimal flavor. First I removed the stems and leaves and washed them under cold running water. Then I used a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the beet root and cut them into quarters and diced them. I decided to try two different styles of preparation. In one pan I used plain tap water to steam the beets and a dijon mustard and tossed it with butter. In the other pot I had red wine vinegar and a spicy southwest mustard with butter. My husband and I both agreed that the red wine vinegar and spicy southwest mustard had more flavor, I thought the dijon had too much of a bite and I liked the subtle mustard flavor of the southwest sauce and a little kick of spice.

Keep a close eye on the level of liquid in your pan, it can scorch easily if left on the stove too long. Beets retain a good deal of their nutrition when steamed for less than 15 minutes if you need another reason to keep a close eye on your timer. I promise this recipe won't disappoint!

Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods Market website.

Tangy Buttered Beets
Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds beets, with stems and greens attached 

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or water)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons spicy southwest mustard (or your favorite fancy mustard)
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash beets and stems thoroughly under cold running water. Remove leafy greens from the stem and set leaves aside. Cut stems into 1 inch pieces. Peel and cut beets into 1-inch chucks and add to a bowl with stems.

Bring red wine vinegar to a boil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add beets and stems, cover and cook until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle greens over the top, cover again and cook until beets, stems and greens are tender, adding more liquid if needed, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, toss with butter, spicy mustard, salt and pepper and serve hot, at room temperature or cold.

Curry Shrimp Salad

 

All of our camera equipment has finally arrived and I've been practicing using a tripod and learning more about photography from my very patient husband. I've already discovered how important lighting is and with our apartment facing another building good lighting can be hard to come by, but it's been fun experimenting. On top of learning how to operate our new camera I've also been practicing sprucing them up on photoshop. That's a lot to learn for a girl like me who can never remember where I put my purse let alone keep up with aperture and ISO talk. 

I know my last post also featured shrimp as the main ingredient but it was on sale at the grocery store where I work and I couldn't resist buying it and thinking of a dish to incorporate it in. I got my inspiration from the cookbook "The Best Recipe" which is an excellent resource for any home cook. They test and re-test every recipe to find the best results (and here I go changing it). The originial recipe calls for chicken in place of shrimp and chili powder in place of curry so if you don't have curry powder hanging around feel free to experiment. I used shrimp because my husband very rarely eats meat, only on special occasions, or if it would seem rude not to. While we were traveling around Vietnam we encountered a few occasions where language was a major barrier and while we communicated well that we wanted to eat, what exactly we wanted to eat was much harder to convey. But my lovely husband ate his pho that was loaded with 3 kinds of red meat without complaint after I was told over and over that refusing food was a huge insult in Vietnamese culture. Plus we were on an adventure and some rules are meant to be broken. But on an everyday basis we happily eat only beans, grains, and vegetables and occasionally seafood that is sustainable and with no added preservatives or color enhancers, of course! You are what you eat after all and it's important for us to know where our food comes from and to make sure it's sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers.  


Placing the salad in a cup of butter lettuce makes for an excellent eye popping presentation and gives it a soft bite as you dig in. Butter lettuce has a sweet flavor and tender texture which pairs nicely with the curry shrimp salad. It's quite tasty and got two thumbs up from my better half. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

 

Adapted from the cookbook "The Best Recipe"
Curry Shrimp Salad
Serves 4

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
1 avocado, diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced

Heat broiler. Mix curry powder, cumin, and salt to taste in a small bowl. Cover shrimp with vegetable oil and add spice mixture, coating evenly with a large spoon. Broil shrimp, stirring once, until shrimp is cooked, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Place diced tomato and avocado in a medium bowl and squeeze 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice over mixture to prevent browning of the avocado.

Whisk yogurt, olive oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl.

Once shrimp has cooled chop each shrimp into 3 pieces and add to tomato and avocado mixture. Toss lightly. Gently fold yogurt dressing into shrimp mixture until combined.

Serve on a leaf of butter lettuce.

 

Salsa Shrimp

Well I survived St. Patrick's Day in the Windy City. The throngs of green shirts and shamrocks could be seen for miles and miles, it was really quite a sight to behold. I may chalk this one up to a fairly enjoyable experience and think fondly of it only in my memory because I'm not sure I'm likely to brave the crowds and dodge puddles of "you know what" (I'm too much of a lady to use such language) but it tends to happen to many who imbibe in too many spirits at such an early time of the day. The green river was a sight to behold, that alone was worth battling the crowds on the train but since I have a picture of it I'm more likely to stay inside where it's safe rather than battle the crowds again next year.

 

The unseasonably warm weather here in Chicago has thrown a lot of people off and while I love that I had to open the box under the bed labeled "summer clothes" it's thrown me off in the kitchen. While outside it's lovely, the warm sun and cool breeze on your face would make anyone happy I just can't find my groove in our tiny apartment where all the heat in the city seems to accumulate. I mean it is HOT, take off all your clothes and take an icy shower hot and I'm so scared for July and August to arrive that I tremble in fear of what that means for long restless nights finding that cool spot on your pillow.

Despite the heat I turned the oven on to make this simple yet tasty shrimp appetizer, or entree if you so desire. The result was worth it but I won't be back in the kitchen anytime soon, it will take a few hours for the heat to fully dissipate. I foresee many salads and other simply prepared foods in my future..

I came across this recipe for Salsa Shrimp in a Northwest Fresh magazine that featured an article about Tobey Rodriguez, a cake decorator in Seattle who I had the honor of taking a class from. And while I'll never be able to pipe roses as beautifully as she can I gained a lot of information and a new appreciation for cake decorators. This simple dish is easy to put together and can make an elegant presentation for any get together with friends and family. As always, your dish will only be as good as your ingredients. Make sure your shrimp is fresh, when you get home from the store put your shrimp on ice and store it in the refrigerator if you're not going to use it right away. Shrimp spoils easily and needs to be kept at 34 degrees, most refrigerators are set around 41 degrees. Ensure that your shrimp is not mushy and a healthy pink color. Your nose is invaluable at detecting the freshness of shrimp, if you smell any fishy or other off odors your shrimp is spoiled. Also, the salsa in this recipe plays a big part with the other flavors, so be sure to use a quality brand. I recommend making your own favorite homemade salsa or choosing a pre-made salsa that you know you enjoy.  I can't imagine using Pace Picante Sauce in this recipe, but if you know you like then go for it. I used a pre-made salsa from Whole Foods Market and it was delicious. It had just the right consistency (not too thick) and just enough kick and flavor that I knew it would work beautifully.

Salsa Shrimp

1 pound fresh or frozen, thawed shrimp
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh salsa
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
sliced fresh baguette bread (for dipping)

Shell and devein shrimp if necessary; rinse and pat dry. Place butter in oven-proof dish; stir in salsa, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and shrimp. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and arrange on a serving plate with baguette slices. Pour sauce from baking dish into a serving bowl and serve alongside. Makes 15-20 appetizers. 

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Origin: Boonville, CA
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Oatmeal Stout
IBU:13

Tomorrow is St. Paddy's Day and my excitement is mounting for the festivities planned around Chicago, I can't wait to experience it all for the first time. You know when a city dyes its river green that they know how to celebrate this holiday. And Chicago doesn't have just one St. Patrick's Day Parade, but two!

Writing about this stout also gave me an excuse to play with our new Canon Rebel so I hope that my photographs of food start to look as good as it tastes.

Stout beer is a dark beer that's brewed using roasted malt or barley, hops, water, and yeast. From there brewers add their own ingredients and we're left with several variations of stouts including milk, Irish, and chocolate. Oatmeal stouts have been around since the medieval period and that's a long time for breweries to get it right. Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is produced by Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, CA. It's very dark, rich, and creamy with notes of chocolate, caramel, and a hint of coffee. It pairs well with desserts but it's also great on it's own. It gets two big thumbs up, it's definitely one of the best oatmeal stouts I've tried.

Have you tried this oatmeal stout? What did you think? Comments are appreciated!

Hope you have a great St. Paddy's Day.

Mango Avocado Salad and Portobello Tomato Stacks

Champagne Mangoes

All across the country it seems many people have gotten off easy this winter and this is especially true here in Chicago where long time residents speak mistrustfully of the early warm weather. We're often told we're lucky to have missed Chicago's famous bone chilling winters and I can tell you that we aren't complaining. This recipe for mango avocado salad is a perfect dish to welcome warm weather back into the picture. I can imagine sitting on my front porch and languidly sipping an iced drink while eating this for a light lunch. Then reality sets in and I realize I have no front porch and I'm back in my teeny tiny apartment with an excellent view of my neighbors bathroom..

I came across this recipe after Joel and I decided to institute "Raw Food" days every other Monday. I think a bi-weekly effort is an attainable goal since eating only raw foods is harder than it seems. There is a ton of information online about the benefits and drawbacks of the raw food diet and a great resource is we like it raw, which is also where I found this recipe. It's amazing how complicated some of the recipes are at first glance but this one seemed totally doable and I can confirm that it's really tasty. The perfect dish to welcome spring back into our midst.

Did you know that there are over 500 varieties of mangoes? It's really mind boggling when you think about it. I chose champagne mangoes which are unique for their yellow color and pear like shape. Champagne mangoes hail from central Mexico and have a delicious light flavor that is perfect in this dish. Mangoes are naturally fat free and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C.

Mango Avocado Salad

2 mangoes, diced (learn how to cut a mango here)
1 large avocado, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and gently toss. Ready to serve.


Now it's time for dinner..

 I made a dish just a few weeks ago using portobello mushrooms and I thought that on Raw Food day these mushrooms would make a more hearty meal. First I got two big portobello mushrooms and wiped them with a damp cloth. Then I removed the stems and gills with the edge of a spoon. Then I squeezed a few drops of lemon juice over both mushrooms. This is the part where I cheat. I'm not judging myself too harshly though because it's the first day of Raw Food day and I'm allowed to slip up. I filled the insides of the scooped out mushrooms with 2 large spoonfuls of chipotle hummus. Sure the chickpeas were cooked before being pureed into hummus, but it's such a small slip, huh? Then I sliced a beautiful red heirloom tomato into thick slices and sprinkled it with salt and pepper before topping it all off with basil leaves.

Neither Joel or I have ever eaten raw portobello mushrooms before but they were amazing! It was very filling and we raved about how good it was until it was time for Joel to head out the door to watch some improv. For next Monday's Raw Food day I'm thinking of zucchini spaghetti with pesto sauce. Stay tuned....

Kale Salad

Oh kale! How far you've come from a mere garnish nestled between a lemon wedge and served to unsuspecting diners at popular seafood restaurants. Little did we realize back then that kale was a superfood and one of the highest scoring on the ANDI scale (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index). The ANDI scale was created by Dr. Fuhrman and adopted by Whole Foods Market as a way to find out which foods pack the most nutritional punch.

While in college I worked at Joe's Crab Shack where I slaved away for four years serving fried shrimp platters with extra tarter sauce to grumbling diners and before bringing seafood dishes to the table we grabbed a small piece of kale and placed a lemon wedge on the plate before bringing it to the table. I remember clearly the day I asked my boss what kale was (I had never heard of it before working there). He told me that it was "polar bear food" and that it wasn't edible which is why we just used it as a garnish.  We've come a long way in the healthy food revolution since then and now kale has a made a huge comeback and is no longer used to simply decorate a plate.

You may be curious to know exactly what eating kale can do for you and the answer isn't a short one. It's extremely high in Vitamins A, C, and K and in addition to that it can reduce your cholesterol by binding to your digestive tract where it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, thus lowering your cholesterol. These cholesterol lowering benefits only increase when kale is steamed for about 5 minutes although raw kale still retains some of these benefits.

If lowering your cholesterol isn't a worry for you then consider that kale also has cancer fighting antioxidants and is also a favorite food for anyone doing a "detox" or "cleanse." Also keep in mind that kale has practically zero calories, so munch away! There's a lot more to learn about kale but I'm ready to eat it.

This kale salad is easily assembled and crazy delicious. There are a million different ways you can make this salad your own, try adding pine nuts, slivered almonds, dried berries and your own favorite blend of spices. The key to making this salad enjoyable to eat is to chop the kale in small bits. If eating kale raw doesn't seem appealing to you, simply steam it for 5 minutes which will soften the leaves. I don't know how kale made such a comeback but it's certainly not just for polar bears anymore..

 

Kale Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale, stems and tough ribs removed, finely chopped

In a large bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add kale and toss to coat.