What Did You Eat?

Weekend Herb Blogging: Black Bean And Pepper Salad, With Cumin And Mint Vinaigrette

When does air conditioning decide to quit working?  During the hottest weather, of course. And that's what happened to us last Friday.  Fortunately, it's working now, but there was a period where we sweltered in our house, as the temperatures hit the century mark.  We enjoy eating salads, so this particular salad was perfect for our steamy abode.  It's a very simple salad from Deborah Madison, made special by the vinaigrette dressing.  I love Deborah Madison's salad recipes because her salad dressings are always full of herbs, spices and citrus juice.  They turn what would be just another black bean salad into an exotic and delicious meal.  It also makes it perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is guest hosted this week by the lovely Gabriella at The  Reluctant Housewife.  Go there and see lots of herby recipes. 

Chinese Noodle Salad with Roasted Eggplant

This weekend I fixed one of my favorite recipes from The Green's Cookbook by Deborah Madison, Chinese Noodle Salad with Roasted Eggplant.  In the cookbook, it states that this recipe is one of the most popular dishes that the restaurant serves. That's quite an honor considering the fact that Greens has so many excellent dishes on their menu.  The salad can be make ahead in segments, at your leisure. In fact, the noodles taste better if they're cooked as much as a day before you complete the salad.  Then you can add the vegetables just before you serve it.

Eggplant and Potato Stewed with Cumin Seeds and Fresh Ginger

Yesterday, I noticed that the interval between the times we eat meat has gotten longer. I mentioned this to Bob and he informed me that he could give it up completely, and never miss it at all.  If I ever went that route, I would still eat seafood.  And cheese. I have to enjoy a Mt Tam cheese now and then.    This recipe for eggplant and potato stew was very good, and it allowed me to play with my new Penzey's herbs and spices. It calls for cumin seeds, bay leaf, garlic, fresh ginger root--but no meat. (I grew up in a house where eating stew always meant there was beef in it.)  The smell of all the ingredients as they cooked in this meatless stew was wonderful.  They permeated the entire house for hours, the best air freshener possible.

Wild rice and walnut salad

Once again, my Green's Cookbook by Deborah Madison delivered big time!  I've yet to find a disappointing recipe in it, and regard it as my  most reliable resource when I want to prepare a meal that tastes good.     My grand plan is to make every recipe in the book, in part because I'm curious to see if there's actually a bad recipe in the book.  I think not.  One recipe I've always wanted to try is Wild Rice And Hazelnut Salad. It calls for hazelnut oil and hazelnuts, which I couldn't find at my grocery store. Apparently, they stock them at Christmas, but not the rest of the year.  People only want hazelnuts on holidays? I don't think so.  I substituted walnuts and walnut oil, and it was delicious. But, I want to try it with hazelnuts someday.

Weekend herb blogging: split pea soup with rosemary croutons

When I first moved to California, the number and size of rosemary shrubs growing almost everywhere surprised me.  The only rosemary I ever saw while living in the Midwest and the South was modest sized plants growing in little pots. Here, the shrubs quickly grow quite large unless restrained with vigorous pruning. I'm pretty lax in my pruning, so the rosemary growing in my backyard is out of control and starting to remind me of kudzu. 

In honor of Herb Blogging Weekend started by Kalyn, I made split pea soup, with rosemary croutons. This soup doesn't look or taste anything like traditional split pea soup.  The broth is lighter in texture, but full of flavor.  It's hard to choose between the two versions, so I won't.

Fennel, mushroom and parmesan salad

Fennel is one of those misunderstood foods, like anchovies.  For years, I avoided it because cookbooks described it as tasting like licorice. If you hate licorice, and there are lots of us out there who do, fennel avoidance will be the name of the game.  Fortunately, I eventually summoned some courage and ordered braised fennel at a restaurant.  Imagine my surprise!  It tasted delicious.  Yes, there is a faint taste of anise, but it's not objectionable at all.  And combined with other flavors like olive oil and parmesan, it's flat out delightful and one of my favorite vegetables now.  Who knew?

Last night I made a salad of fennel, fresh mushrooms, and parmesan.  And this morning I tried to persuade my friend Glenna to give fennel a try. But, she hates licorice and is reluctant to take a chance with her taste buds. And so it goes.  I understand. 

Linquine with caramelized onions and walnuts

One of my favorite resources is The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison.  The recipes are the same ones used at the Greens restaurant in San Francisco, a terrific place for dining and enjoying a view of the bay.  I decided to make Green's linguine with caramelized onions and walnuts, but time was short, so I made some changes.  The recipe calls for homemade rosemary pasta, but I used fresh pasta from the grocery instead.  It also requires caramelizing onions, and luckily the last of my onion jam was stashed in the freezer.  Using it shortened the cooking time considerably, but now my supply is gone.   Note to self:  Make onion jam this week.

Bresse mushroom soup

Yesterday I looked at the calendar and realized fresh morel mushrooms will be available in less than two months.   That thought caused an intense craving for something mushroomy.  And since Wednesday is soup day, mushroom soup immediately came to mind.  I've made several different recipes, including a killer French recipe calling for lots of butter and cream. It's delicious, but I wanted to cook a soup that doesn't make me feel guilty after I eat it. The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison contains a wonderful recipe that tastes good and isn't loaded with fat.