Ampted About Ramps

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Yesterday I went to the Bioladen (a.k.a. health food store) to pick up my weekly Gemüse Tüte (a.k.a. bag of local, organic produce). I went with every intention of canceling my bag for good.

I signed up for this service because I was interested in learning more about local produce and finding out what unique vegetables are grown in Germany. Instead, for the last couple of weeks I received nothing exciting, only non-blog worthy broccoli, leeks, and carrots grown in Italy and Spain.

While standing on line to cancel next week's vegetables I rummaged through the bag to see what was there. "Are those ramps?" I wondered. The mere through was enough to make me sign up for one more week.

Once home I had to look up the word Bärlauch, which was included on the list of contents to make sure I was right. Unlike ramps that I've purchased at the Greenmarket on New York, the ones in the bag only had the leaves; the bulbs were removed. But, sure enough I'd received a bag of wild garlic.

Also know as wild leeks, ramps are a member of the onion and garlic family. They are indigenous to North America, and commonly found in Appalachia. One of the first spring vegetables to appear in markets, ramps can replace garlic in most any recipes. Last night I threw the leaves into a stir-fry with tofu, broccoli, leeks, and carrots served over coconut rice.

Orange Coconut Fool

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Orange Coconut Fool

2 oranges
1 can of coconut milk
1 tablespoons sugar
A pinch of salt
Chopped, toasted almonds

Cut two rounds from the orange. Supreme the rest of the orange.*

Chill the can of coconut milk to allow the cream to rise and become firm. Open and remove cream, reserving liquid for another use. In a large bowl add coconut cream, sugar, and salt. Beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. (Note: This will take slightly longer then when making whipped cream.)

To assemble to fools, place some orange sections at the bottom of a glass. Then add a layer of whipped coconut cream, then chopped walnuts. Repeat until the glasses are filled.

* To supreme an orange you cut off the bottom, creating a flat surface for it to sit on; and cut off the top to revealing the flesh. Next, remove the rind and pith by slicing around the flesh. Then, holding the orange over a bowl to capture all the juice, cut away each section of the flesh.

Beans and Greens

January 1: A day for resolutions and projects. What's mine? This year I want to get back to blogging. One short food-related post a day.

Of course when I told my husband, he looked concerned and asked if that meant I was going to take a pictures everything he eats this year. I answered honestly, said probably, and took a photo of our New Year's Day beans and greens.

Blacked peas for luck, collards for money, and bacon for wealth. Though I enjoy a bowl of collards cooked for hours until they are soft and army green, I like to start the New Year with a healthier bowl. You can pull this dish together quickly with canned beans, but when you have the time, the traditional method of soaking beans overnight and then simmering them on the stovetop are really delicious. They are soft, but not mush and hold up to a second simmer with the greens.

New Years Day Beans and Greens

• 2 cups cooked black eyed peas

• 1/2 pound thick cut bacon cut or panchetta

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 1/2 yellow pepper, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 12 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 6 cups collard greens, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1 inch slices

• Salt and pepper

• Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce

Cut bacon into cubes and saute until crispy. Remove from pan and pour off

Crepes

Crepes

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
A pinch of salt
A pinch of nutmeg
A drop of vanilla extract

Whisk all of the ingredients together. Let batter rest for at least half and hour. In a hot medium skillet* add a few drop of oil. Pour in one ladle full of batter. Twirl the pan around so that the batter extends to the edges of the pan. Cook until the top is almost dry. Flip. Cook for another minute.

The crepes can be filled with just about anything – fruit, meat, cheese – or better yet, smeared with Nutella.

* Most people suggest using a nonstick pan for making crepes. I don't have a nonstick skillet the right size, so I just used a regular frying pan.

Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Juice of 1 blood orange
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Whisk everything together and pour over salad.

* Since the oranges are sweeter than lemons, limes, or vinegar – the usual acids in vinaigrettes you don't need to follow the traditional ratio of one part acid to three parts oil.

Pear Vinaigrette

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Pear Vinaigrette

I used an emulsion blender to make this vinaigrette. If you don't have one, a food processor or blender will also work.

1 pear, pealed and core removed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Puree the pear in a bowl using an emulsion blender. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper. With the blender running slowly pour in the olive oil.

Turkey Cutlets With Caper Pan Sauce

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Turkey Cutlets With Caper Pan Sauce

In German supermarkets schnitzel cuts (thin pieces of turkey, beef, veal, or pork) are common. I love the turkey schnitzel for this dish since it cooks in a flash. If you can’t find schnitzel cuts, turkey or chicken breast filets pounded thin will also work.

• Four turkey cutlets
• ½ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion finely diced
• ½ tablespoon anchovy paste
• ¼ cup sherry
• ½ cup chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons capers
• Salt and pepper

Lightly coat turkey cutlets in flour. Cook turkey in olive oil in a hot sauté pan on one side until it releases easily from the pan and is lightly browned, approximately three minuets. Cook on the second side for another two minutes. Remove cutlets from the pan and set aside.

Add onions and cook until translucent. Mix in anchovy paste then deglaze the pan with the sherry, scraping all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the sherry is almost evaporated, add the chicken stock. Bring stock to a boil, then lower the heat and allow the stock to reduce by half. Pour any juice that has collected on the plate with the turkey into the pan. Whisk in butter and then add the capers. Pour sauce over the cutlets and serve.

Pizza

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Pizza

Dough
I doubled a pizza dough recipe from Epicurious. I don’t have a food processor in Germany, so I made it all by hand and it was super easy. I spread the dough on a cookie sheet and made a rectangular pizza. Also, to make the crust crisp on the bottom I first cooked the crust in a hot oven (about 400 degrees) until the top turned lightly golden. Then I remove the pizza, add the topping and cooked until the cheese melted.

Caramelized Onion Pizza
• 5 onions cut in half, then thinly sliced from root to top
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• ½ cup grated mozzarella
• 32 anchovy filets
• 16 black olives, pit removed and cut in half

Cook onions in oil over a low heat in a medium-sized sauté pan until they are a rich, bark brown, aproximely 30 minutes.

Pre-bake the pizza crust as described above. Spread mustard over the top of the pizza dough. Evenly cover with cheese, then onions. Make “Xs” with two anchovy fillets. (My pan allows for four Xs across, three deep.) Place half and olive on either of each X. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Mushroom Pizza
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• 10 mushrooms, sliced

Pre-bake the pizza crust as described above. Spread sauce over the top of the pizza dough. Evenly cover with cheese. Scatter with mushrooms. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Pizza Sauce
By slowly reducing the liquid, you get a lot of flavor and a sauce that is not too wet, which will protect the crispness of the crust.

• 1 onion finely diced
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cups pureed tomatoes

In a medium sized, heavy bottomed pot sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent, about three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add red wine and cook until almost comely evaporated. Add tomato paste and dried herbs and cook for another minute. Pour in tomato puree. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce has reduced by half.

Blog posts coming slowly

From 2009-2010 I wrote a food blog called The Apron Caper. I am in the process of moving the content from that blog to this site. You can brows the content now as work.

Sherry-laced chicken and cheese tortellini soup with spinach and caramelized onions*

Friday, February 15, 2008

2 onions
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 chicken breasts
10 whole peppercorns
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup Sherry
2 cups fresh spinach
1 half-pound package of cheese tortellini
Salt and pepper

Rough cut half of one onion, one carrot, and one stalk of celery. In a medium-size pot sauté the onion in one teaspoon of olive oil for about a minute. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another minute. Add the chicken breasts and cover the contents of the pot by two inches with water. Add peppercorns. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Poach the chicken for twenty minutes skimming any film off the top of poaching liquid.

Caramelize one of the onions in a small frying pan. Cut the onion in half from root to tip, remove the skin, and slice into long thin slices from the root to tip. Cook in 2 teaspoons of olive oil over low heat until dark brown, tossing occasionally to avoid burning. (You will have leftovers, which is a good thing. Toss then in a salad or put them on a sandwich.)

While the chicken is poaching and the onion caramelizing, finely chop the remaining half of the onion, carrot, and celery and mince the garlic. When the chicken is opaque all the way through, remove it from the liquid and set aside to cool. Strain the poaching liquid and discard the vegetables. Set the liquid aside.

Cook tortellini according to package instructions.

Put the pot back on the stove. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and sauté the onion and garlic for about a minute. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another two minutes. Add the Sherry to deglaze the pan and allow the liquid to evaporate. Add the poaching liquid and season with salt and pepper.

Shred the chicken. Chop spinach. Assemble ingredients in a bowl and pour over hot broth. Garnish with a slice of Parmesan sliced with a vegetable peeler.

* In the post above I used leeks, but in the past I've made this soup with caramelized onions, which are better. Onions have a more intense flavor and get a more beautiful brown color.