Parsley and Walnut Pesto

Earlier this week I wrote about how hard I find it to use up those little packs of herbs when I buy them. I usually purchse them for one specific recipe and somehow forget to use the rest. One solution is to make herbs into a salad with goat's cheese.

Well, I realised something obvious. Another solution would be to use up the whole pack the first time I open it. I could use that parsley spring on the one specific recipe and at the same time, whizz up some parsley pesto.

Making pesto is as easy as throwing items into a food processor. It tastes incredible over meat, fish, (veggie) pasta, and as a dip for veggies. It's like spring in a jar!

Ratio by MIchael Ruhlman [book review]

Our April Kitchen Reader book is Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman. In it, he explains how many classic dishes can be described using a simple ratio. For example, bread doughs for loaves, pasta, pies, biscuits, and cookies have similar ratios of flour, water, and eggs or fat. How much of each in the ratio determines what kind of item you are making.

Besides doughs, Rulhman describes the ratios for batters (which make different cakes, muffins, and fritters), stocks, roux, meat mixtures (sausages, for example), fat-based sauces (such as mayonnaise and hollandaise), and custards. I am a grain-free cook, so I skipped over all the baked goods, but for those who make breads and cakes, I imagine this is the most useful part of the book. It's also extensive and detailed. This is a little ironic, since Ruhlman is trying to champion the idea that once you know the basic ratios you are freed from recipes and complications.

Shredded Salad with Dukkah Dressing

Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of nuts, seeds, and spices. It is usually used in Egypt with a bowl of olive oil for dipping hunks of bread. The dukkah mixture is made from toasted hazelnuts and sesame seeds, and the flavouring comes from cumin and coriander, also toasted.

Cumin and coriander seeds are "more likely to be found together than apart" in Middle Eastern cooking, according to The Flavour Thesaurus by Nikki Segnit (see my review of this astoundingly useful book). The brightness of coriander seeds offsets the dustiness of the cumin. Together with the nuts and seeds, they make an interesting and versatile mixture. I haven't been to Egypt yet, so I'm happy that this dukkah let me pretend for a while.

Roasted Carrot and Garlic Dip

Carrots are my favourite vegetable and I even contemplated photographing this carrot dip with carrot sticks for dipping. Because that is indeed one of the ways I ate it! But for this photo, I made cucumber dippers. My friend Michael showed me how to cut cucumber on a steep diagonal to make perfect chip-sized dippers. I am always looking for more ways to make vegetables feel like a natural part of fun eating. Cucumber dippers and carrot dip are great examples of fun vegetables!

And so there is no need for chips and salsa at your next snack attack or movie night. If you are searching for ways to eat more vegetables, try this easy carrot dip with veggie dippers. It's also good with sweet pepper strips, celery sticks, or even rectangles of the ribs of Chinese cabbage. (I have tried this and it was superb!)

Baba Ghanoush

The Joy of Cooking taught me a lot about food; I have the 1953 version. But one piece of advice The Joy of Cooking gave no longer applies--there is no need to salt eggplants (aubergines) before cooking. New varieties of eggplant are much less bitter than in our grandmothers' days.

Pepper Cream Sauce

I have waxed eloquent before about my love of salt and pepper. Pepper, particularly, is the perfect condiment. But to be honest, this simple pepper sauce is pretty versatile. In the words of MFK Fisher, “the following recipe... can be varied according to the herbs and ideas you possess.”

The key is to add plenty of pepper, or your desired seasoning. I was shocked to find that in this one cup of sauce (all of which is pictured here) there is a full one tablespoon of cracked pepper. It makes for a very fiery, yet familiar taste. The vast quantity of pepper is perfectly foiled by the thick cream.

Coleslaw with Caper Mayonnaise

Salt and pepper are my two favourite condiments. Sea salt, in particular, and freshly cracked black pepper. They are the white and black, the most basic of all flavourings.

In this coleslaw recipe, the salty role is played by capers. Aren't they just lovely little balls of brine-y goodness? The capers are incorporated into a mayonnaise that dresses this coleslaw; they are subtle but essential overall. And the black pepper is cracked extremely generously over the top.

Weekend Links #32

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--How many times should you try a food before deciding you don't like it? At least once, argues Jay Rayner in The Observer Food Monthly. And in the case of tripe, many more times. (I have not tried it so I can't comment.)
--A detailed (but readable) analysis of 23 studies comparing low fat and low carbohydrate diets (from Authority Nutrition).
--"Don't bother going out to eat all the time"... and you will enjoy it more (from Casual Kitchen). The same goes for eating chocolate.

Roasted Aubergine Dip

I am a veg-aholic. You may already know that I am in love with vegetables. That's why I started this blog. I think more people should become crazy veg-lovers! My main goal with this blog is to inspire other people to love vegetables - because I think they can be really versatile and delicious.

A lot of the people I meet have had bad experiences with vegetables. For example, have you tasted overcooked, mushy carrots with your school dinners? Or foul smelling boiled cauliflower, blanketed in bland sauce? There are some atrocious vegetable dishes out there!

"Green Things" Pesto

While I am cooking, I set aside all the little green scraps. I keep them in the fridge until I have collected a large handful or two. Then I make "green things" pesto to use up the delicious green leftovers.

Cauliflower Hummus

Do you need more strategies to help you (or your family) eat more veggies? Here is one of my favourites: dip your vegetables in vegetables. Yup, skip the store-bought or homemade dairy-based dips and stick to veggie-based condiments.

This is a beloved way of eating for me and I have even talked about it before when I made sweet potato spread. And now I have experienced the wonders of cauliflower hummus!

weekend links #20

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--I am always looking for ways to have space for more cookbooks in my kitchen. This post on kitchen design (from The Kitchn) has a photo of a brilliant shelving solution.
--Some nutritionist talk that it's best to avoid (from Small Bites). http://smallbites.andybellatti.com/?p=7279

recipe links:
--A recipe for eggless mayonnaise that uses silken tofu instead (from Foodista).


--Raw and sugar-free banana cream pie that looks incredible (recipe and image from Spoonful of Sugar Free). I have already made this once and the crust twice.
--Lime and garlic topped sweet potato fries (from This Mama Cooks!) sound like winners; I would make these and leave out the agave nectar since I think sweet potatoes are deliciously sweet enough.

off-topic links:
--How to create an emergency document (from Lifehacker). This is on the list of grown-up things you really should do. Along with learning to poach an egg and invest for your retirement.
--A useful post on how to start organising when life is total chaos around you (from The Organizing Junkie).

What engrossing things have you seen around the internet?

Or tell me... What is your favourite blog post (of your own or someone else) these last two weeks?

ingredient spotlight: kumquats

Please welcome the fruit with arguably the strangest name: the kumquat. I bought them by the bag-full in the Chinese wet market nearby. I get my weekly fruit and vegetables from a wrinkly lady who knows her produce but can't communicate with me at all besides showing me numbers on her calculator. I make it a policy to try something new to me each time I go there, and I'm usually pleasantly surprised with the results.

homemade yogurt

This post is dedicated to Deeba at Passionate about Baking. She is an amazing cook, photographer, and blogger, who has inspired me a lot. She has great ideas for fruity, creamy, or chocolately desserts. And she makes her own cheeses and yogurts, and she's answered lots of questions from me about how to do these things. Thank you, Deeba!

At each stage of the cooking journey I have found that I am surprised at how easy a recipe or meal often is, especially those which seemed particularly tough previously. When I started to cook for myself as an adult I realised that many of the meals I had eaten at home were within my skills as a beginning cook. I had two cookbooks and a cooking notebook with some of my Mother's recipes, and I noticed that successful meals were as easy as following directions. And since starting this food blog, I have learned that making homemade risotto is quite simple, from-scratch Caesar salad is basic, and even making my own mayonnaise is not that hard.

Given all this, I was still blown away by how easy it is to make yogurt in my own kitchen. I have done it five times in the last five weeks--each time is has taken less than ten minutes.

please help! what is this Chinese condiment?

This random jar has been sitting in my fridge for several months now. I cautiously dip in and out of it occasionally. What is it? All that Chinese that I can't read! Can you please help me?

It's a slightly odd story of how I got this jar of mystery stuff. I didn't buy it at my local store as a try-me ingredient. Oh, no. It was destined for greater things than my refrigerator, this jar, but never made it there. The story goes like this.

tomato chilli jam

I try to make two things every time I turn the oven on. Not least because my kitchen is a "sweltering sweat-box," as my husband so eloquently puts it. Also, though, because heating up the oven takes a lot of energy and keeping bills and global warming down seem like two mutually worthwhile goals.

Making this tomato chilli jam is a simple use of the oven when it's already on. It doesn't take long to prepare and then you can just let the mixture roast quietly in the background. The result: a tangy, spicy (as you like it) spread for the freshly baked loaves you baked at the same time.

mayonnaise

"I'm not a total mayo fascist," says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in his cookbook River Cottage Everyday. I surely agree with him. In general, life is a bit to fast-paced to make your own mayonnaise. But when there's time and when you want to showcase a fresh, tasty coleslaw or salad, homemade mayonnaise is the perfect way to do it. Thankfully it's not too hard once you get the knack, and it keeps well in the fridge, so you can use and enjoy it several times for your trouble.


I have made mayonnaise in the past and found it a little tricky beating it by hand. This time I used an electric beater and it was so much easier. I have learned that it is essential that the egg yolk is at room temperature. And Hugh says that if you are worried about the mayo splitting, you can add a teaspoon of ready-made mayo to hinder this. Use any mild oils you have available, for example, sunflower, rapeseed, or mild olive oil, or a mixture of any of these.

Mayonnaise
adapted from River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
makes 175 ml

1/4 garlic clove
1/4 t mustard
1 medium egg yolk, at room temperature
1 t mild vinegar
1 t ready-made mayonnaise (optional)
2/3 c (150 ml) mild oil(s)
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Crush the garlic and place in the bottom of a large bowl with the mustard, egg yolk, vinegar, and ready-made mayonnaise, if using.
Use an electric mixer on medium to beat as you add the oil very slowly, half a teaspoon at a time in a thin stream.
Continue to add the oil very gradually and the mayo will thicken.
Don't overbeat. When all the oil is added, taste, and add lemon juice, salt or pepper if needed.
Cover and keep in the fridge for a week.

So try it out; it's not too hard and it's well worth the trouble for the delicious, fresh condiment that is worth eating on its own! I made it to feature in a salad that I'll blog about later in the week.

Hollandaise Sauce

One of my readers sent me a question recently about cooking vegetables.

"I find I am always looking for different ways to cook veggies. My husband is hard to please. He doesn't really like salad, and wants stuff to be really flavourful. He likes 'sauce.' He seems to think that everything needs 'sauce' or 'seasoning.' If you have any suggestions, I'd really appreciate them."


Veggies are my favourite thing to cook, and I am always looking for ways to help others love them as much as I do. Starting with fresh ingredients is always the best first step. But I am more than happy to suggest sauce ideas, too. Hollandaise sauce is a good bet because it's simple to make but adds a slightly richer flavour to a light meal such as steamed fish and veggies.


Hollandaise is a classic French sauce, so I used a recipe from I Know How to Cook, the French cooking tome, recently published in English for the first time. Hollandaise is brilliant with vegetables, fish, eggs, and even grilled steaks. It's a bit fiddly to make the first time, but doesn't take too long, and is easy to get used to. There are only three main ingredients and the recipe below makes plenty for a larger family or two meals for a couple (just reheat it very gently for the second meal).

Hollandaise Sauce
adapted from I Know How to Cook

Hollandaise sauce is one part in the trinity of Eggs Benedict, along with an English muffin and a poached egg. Learning to perfect Hollandaise is simple, and gives you triumphal bragging rights.

3 egg yolks
salt and pepper
3/4 c (175 g) butter
2 t lemon juice, warmed

Put the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl with 1 T water and a pinch of salt over a very low (barely simmering) heat. Stir vigorously.
Remove from the heat, add the butter, cut into small pieces, and stir in. Return to heat and stir until the sauce thickens. As this is happening, keep the heat low and remove the pan from the heat any time it looks as though the eggs are about to become scrambled.
Pour in the lemon juice, stir with a bit of salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

lamb salad with twice tomato sauce

Leftover roast lamb, a tomato, and a few salad leaves. I looked around the kitchen, wondering how I could possibly turn this into a meal. Ant is much more likely than me to turn to take-away food when the cupboards are looking bare. But I was determined. Surely there's a meal here somewhere, I thought. I had one small onion, which I sauteed with one carrot. Then I added the lamb pieces to warm them through. In the end, though, it was the sauce that turned this into a meal--a meal that felt like a real main dish.


I spread thick drops of dark red sauce generously over the warm salad. By using the one fresh tomato and a few sun-dried tomatoes, the sauce had a deep tomatoey flavour that brought the salad together.

Twice Tomato Sauce (or Dressing)
makes 1 1/2 cups

1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c chopped fresh basil (or 2 t dried basil)
1/2 t salt
1/4 c to 1/2 c (75 mL to 125 mL) water

Combine all the ingredients except the water in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Add the water, a few tablespoons at a time, until a thick, but pourable, sauce is formed.

It would be easy to make this a bit more thin for use as a more conventional salad dressing. Just add a little more water (or some olive oil) in the last step.

eggs mimosa

I am now the proud owner of I Know How to Cook, a cookbook just published for the first time in English. It's been the best-selling French cookbook for generations and it's been adapted by Clotilde Dusoulier, of Chocolate & Zucchini. I read C&Z all the time and really enjoy Clotilde's cooking and writing.


I Know How to Cook is massive! There are 52 recipes for eggs! I thought I knew how to cook eggs, then I read about Italian-Style Eggs (with tomato and Gruyere cheese), Eggs a la Royale (with bechamel sauce), Cinderella Eggs (with ham, foie gras mousse, and creme fraiche), and Eggs Mimosa.


I picked Eggs Mimosa because I wanted to make my own mayonnaise. After hard boiling the eggs, I hollowed them out and mix the yolks with mayonnaise, then place it back into the whites.


I have to be perfectly honest.... I had to have two tries at the mayonnaise before I succeeded. The instructions in I Know How to Cook were clear, but I didn't realise how "gradually" I was meant to add the oil to the egg yolk. I ended up consulting my old battered copy of The Joy of Cooking and it said to add the oil half a teaspoon at a time. The second time the oil and the egg yolk thickened up straight away and made the most delicious mayonnaise I have ever tasted. (Ant and I had to restrain ourselves from digging in with the toast rounds we were making.)


Making mayonnaise is surprisingly easy, if a little hard on the arm muscles. You put an egg yolk in a bowl (make sure it is at room temperature), then beat in 1/2 c (125 ml) to 3/4 c (175 ml) oil, one half teaspoon at a time. The mayonnaise should thicken up. Season with salt and pepper, and lemon juice, Dijon mustard, or white wine vinegar.

Eggs Mimosa
adapted from I Know How to Cook

Hard boil 6 eggs. Cut them in half, then hollow out the yolks. Mash two thirds of the yolks with 200 ml of mayonnaise (the amount made with one egg yolk and 1/2 c - 3/4 c oil). Fill the whites with the mayonnaise mixture and sprinkle the remaining yolks over top. Garnish with basil.