Fettucine With Asparagus and Peas

8-10 stalks asparagus
frozen sweet peas, 1 or 2 cups
1 lb fettuccine or linguine
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
salt & pepper
chopped fresh basil
fresh parmesan
pine nuts, toasted (optional)


saute garlic in olive oil, add butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper
add half of the chopped basil
steam or grill asparagus then cut in 2 inch pieces
cook pasta, add peas last four minutes to the pasta
add drained pasta with peas to sauce, stir in asparagus and toasted pine nuts
(add more oil or butter if needed)
top with grated parm and rest of chopped basil

White Cheddar Ale Soup

I have had a craving for North Peak Brewery's White Cheddar Ale Soup with mustard pretzel croutons lately.  However, that's a 2 hour drive for me, so I thought, "well how hard can it be.  It's ale, it's white cheddar, you can't really go wrong..."  As usual, I searched the net high and low for recipes.  One called for leeks, one for Worcestershire sauce, another for heavy cream.  I had none of these items on hand.  What I did have was a lovely winter ale and some white cheddar.  My blog is all about using what I have on hand to make delicious food at home because we live quite a drive from the grocery store and it is an even farther drive to find a great restaurant.  Below is what I came up with:

5 TBL Butter
2 carrots
1-2 stalks of celery
1 small onion
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk (2% is what I used)
12 oz bottle of ale
spicy brown mustard
8-10 oz grated sharp white cheddar cheese
salt, pepper
chicken stock

Halve the carrots lengthwise and thinly slice.  Dice the celery and onion finely. Saute veggies in butter, season with salt and pepper, simmer for 10 minutes. Add flour and whisk until bubbly, 1 or 2 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Add beer and mustard. I didn't measure the mustard, a couple squirts, perhaps it was a couple of teaspoons--you won't want too much.  Increase heat to medium high, bring to boil while whisking constantly.  Boil one minute, reduce to low and simmer 10 minutes.  The soup should be creamy at this point.  Mine was a little heavier than I wanted it, so I added a cup of chicken stock made with chicken base. I would recommend adding a teaspoon of the base to the soup even if you don't add the water to make stock. Once all this is incorporated and looking creamy, add the grated cheese a little at a time until it is combined.  Someone* (*the huz) got into my white cheddar, so I added a few crumbled slices of regular cheddar as well, and that was fine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed, even a pinch of crushed red pepper if you like.  Serve with popcorn or croutons.

I was quite pleased with the results, if only I had the mustard pretzel croutons on hand.  But some popcorn popped on the stove top was a nice addition and a traditional accompaniment to "beer cheese" soup.

For dessert, I whipped up a batch of Banana Oat Cookies, a nice ending to a very comforting meal.

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

There are a few vegans in our family.  I only dabble in it occasionally, after all it never hurts to eat more vegetables!  So I have scoured the web for a few good recipes in order to more easily break bread (heheh) with the family.  I had pumpkins.  I had cranberries.  And I ran across a pumpkin cranberry bread recipe here at What Would Cathy Eat?  I've tweaked it for muffins, which I prefer to quick bread loaf.  I just love this recipe, number one, the muffins are delicious.  Number two, you almost can't hurt it.  Sometimes I put in a little extra flax seed, maybe a heaping cup of pumpkin puree.  I'm not big into measuring so I eyeball the seasonings.  And as a matter of fact, the pictured muffins were made with roasted butternut squash puree.  I discovered this thanksgiving that Libby's canned pumpkin is actually a variety called the Dickinson pumpkin which is more closely related to butternut squash than your friendly neighborhood jack o'lantern.  Knowledge is power!

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 tablespoons orange juice
a bit of orange zest if you have it
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup cranberries, roughly chopped or whole your preference

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix pumpkin, sugar, flax, orange juice & zest, vanilla and oil.  In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, then mix into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts and cranberries.

Fill 12 muffin cups, bake about 20 minutes.  Ovens are different so keep an eye on them the first time you make them.  Sometimes it seems I have a little too much for 12 muffins so I put the rest in a mini muffin pan (12).

Snobby Joes

This recipe is from The Post Punk Kitchen. (the joes are snobby because there is no meat so they think they are better than other joes)

1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
dash of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/8 cup tomato paste
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

i also add 2 tablespoons of barbque sauce (sweet baby rays)

4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional - for serving)

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can't wait.

Dough..Ray? Me!

I'm not sure what Ray has to do with it, but I thought it was high time we had some pizza dough recipes posted up in here.  The first one is my basic dough recipe.  You can't harm this one....it will turn out a crust almost no matter what you do to it.  Over time your hands will get to know the feel of the dough and you will perfect the flour/oil/water ratio.  The recipe is a good place to start, but doughs take on a life of their own and sometimes need a little tinkering depending on the weather, humidity, heat and the strength of your hands or kitchen mixer.

3/4 cup very warm water
1 TBL olive oil
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 cup of all purpose or bread flour

Combine the water, sugar, oil and yeast in a large bowl.  Let it sit for a few minutes until it looks foamy.  Add the salt and 2 cups of flour, using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, until it comes together a bit.  If you are using your hands, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 - 8 minutes.  Add the additional 1/4 cup flour (if it is still very sticky add a little more) the dough should be smooth and not sticky after kneading. If you press on it with your finger, it should spring back.  Let it rest for 30 minutes (or you can oil and cover and let it sit in the refrigerator until  needed...allow it to come back to room temperature  before using).  Spread in pizza pan, top with toppings and bake at 450 until it looks delicious!  If you are making it in your stand mixer, you really only need to knead it with the dough hook on speed 2 for a couple of minutes before letting it rest.

Fogazzo's Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe
I miss pizza on the east coast.  I have never found a duplication of the crust outside of the NYC/NJ area (and yes, the crust is just as good in Northern NJ, I will fight you New Yorkers to the death over it!! heheh).  So I began thinking about Semolina flour....and after some research on the net, found the linkup above.  I tried it out but did not leave quite enough time to proof the dough.  It still came out wonderfully and is the closest thing to the holy grail of crust that I have been able to come up with in my kitchen....remembering I have a basic hot point stove and not a real pizza oven!  It was beautifully brown on the bottom, thin but chewy.....delicious!!  I am really thinking about bagels now....you can't get a decent bagel outside that same area and if you have had one you know what I am talking about.  If not, please take my word for it.  My family has gotten on planes with a fresh bag of bagels as their only carryon.  I'm not sure if TSA would allow this now, I for sure do not want them groping my bagels!

Black Bean Mango Fresh Salsa

2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons cilantro, washed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 serrano chile peppers or hot pepper of you choice, finely chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
4 roma tomatoes diced
juice of 1/2 lime
2 ounces white wine

This salsa is originally from a recipe I have called "Blackened Chicken with Mango Salsa".  But we usually  serve it with grilled chicken marinated in our Fajita Marinade and a side of rice or tortilla chips.  It would also be delicious as an accompaniment to fish.  If you would like to try it with  blackened chicken, here is what you do:  First, open your windows because these breasts are going to smoke!  Preheat oven to 375.  Drege one side of 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in 3 TBL of Paul Prudhomme's Magic spice or other spice blend.  In a very hot cast iron skillet, add a little olive oil and cook the chicken spice side down until blackened on that side.  Remove  chicken from skillet and place in a baking dish.  Pour 2 ounces of white wine over the top and cook until done, about 10-15 minutes.  The blackening process creates a bit of smoke, so be advised.  We've done it outside on top of a camp stove in order to avoid setting off the smoke alarms. 

You Had Me At Fritter! (zucchini fritter, that is)

• What to do when you have excess zucchini?  Fritterize them, of course!  The recipe and comments below are courtesy of my sister's kitchen, freshly tested today.  Next time she promises to take pictures.  These delectable fritters also come with her huz and 11-month-old-baby-boy seal of approval.  What higher recommendation can I give?!
• 
  
• 1 large zucchini, grated
• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• Milk (i used a few tablespoons) 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste (next time i'd use fresh minced)
• paprika to taste
• cumin to taste
• dried parsley (optional)
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (i used earth balance) 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix ingredients together.
2. Heat about 1 tablespoon of shortening in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter into the skillet, and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula. Turn fritters over when the center appears dry. Cook on the other side until golden brown. Set aside and keep warm. Add more shortening to skillet as needed, and continue with remaining batter.