Summer Squash Spaghetti

In June, my husband Bob, on a whim, bought me the Pederno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Cutter after I showed him how nifty it was.

The promise of easily created homemade curly fries and vegan spaghetti had me squealing when the box finally arrived later that week.






The first dish I made was summer squash spaghetti with a Singer Naturals garlic scape pesto sauce.














I made a fresh loaf of Bistro Bread and whipped together some Strawberry Jam made with rhubarb. Slices were spread thick with Danish blue cheese and jam.

The salad had herbs from the garden and balsamic vinaigrette thinned jam.

It was all so delicious that I can't wait to use it over and over again.

Chard Pie

Approximately 2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes are thinly sliced.

Three pounds of chard is steamed and then rinsed in cold water.

Fistful of fresh thyme.

Eight cloves worth of minced garlic, 4 tbls of olive oil and thyme heated on low.

Chard is squeezed and rough chopped and added to the pan. Sauted for ten minutes.

10 oz of cheese, shredded.

Using an oiled cheese cake pan, bread is layered first, then tomatoes, then chard, and then cheese.

Repeated until the pan is filled. Pressed down to compress the layers and then baked at 400 degrees for thirty minutes.

Set out to cool for 10 minutes and then removed from the form.

Sliced and served with steamed zucchini and watermelon.

You can use any kind of vegetable combination you'd like for this pie. Such as tomato and zucchini or onion, garlic, and leek. Use your imagination!

Taralli

On Saturday I had the first International Dinner of the year, our second year at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo. We celebrated Italy, Sicily and Sardinia with food, music and excellent conversation.

One of the dishes I prepared was Taralli, a heavenly umami flavored pretzel. With freshly ground and whole fennel seeds, it had a delightful earthiness.

 One cup of warm water, 3 tsp. of yeast, a sprinkle of sugar, 10 minutes to do it's magic!

 2 1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour, salt, freshly ground and whole fennel seeds, 3 tbls olive oil, and 3 tbls of sugar.

Knead gently until a shaggy loaf forms. Let rise in a bowl covered with a towel for one hour.

 The loaf will have an elastic rubbery feel when it's time to make the Taralli.

Separate into small balls, roughly 2 inches in diameter.

Roll each out to about 4 inches in length and bring the ends to meet, overlapping slightly.

 Lay out on a well greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven set at 375 degrees. Let cool and serve with highly flavored foods, coffee, or a bottle of wine.

Garlic stuffed Olive Herbed Focaccia and Spinach-Ricotta Dumplings in Red Pepper Sauce

I led a class on Italian cooking yesterday and felt honored to be surrounded by such a lovely group of ladies.

We made this delicious focaccia!

2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbls olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbls thyme and oregano

Olives stuffed with garlic cloves
Olive oil for brushing onto surface and sprinkle with salt.

Proof yeast. Mix with flour and olive oil. Mix, adding a little flour until a soft elastic ball forms. Place in an oiled bowl and cover until doubled in size. Divide and pull into round disk shapes. Place in cake pans, dimpling the surface. Insert olives into one or both, which ever your prefer. Bake until golden brown. approximately 15-20 minutes. Pop out of pans and bake for five more minutes. Best served still warm.

4 large, fleshy red bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 5 fresh basil leaves salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons yogurt


Cook on a high heat and use an immersion blender to make smooth.

For the Dumplings:
3 bunches spinach, stems removed
3 eggs or yogurt
3/4 cup freshly grated Italian parmesan cheese, plus cheese for garnishing
3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
 2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus flour for dredging
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tbls sage 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted









We ended up putting these in a large, well oiled pan and under the broiler to bake when boiling our dumplings led to half results, sometimes this mix isn't quite firm enough to handle boiling. Baking it produced beautiful little rounds of hot cheese and spinach.

Photos courtesy of Kate Goehrig Scott.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - No Eggs!

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup applesauce (The snack cups are perfect for this recipe.)







Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add the applesauce, beating well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Lagniappes, Farmers & Builders, Santas in Kilts, and Burmese Children in Christmas Tree Skirt Capes

Where do I start? Last night was....
unusual?
I was looking forward to going to the Opt-Out Launch Party hosted by Buffalo's Farmers & Builders, but wanted to eat before heading over. I stopped at Lagniappes for their mac & cheese and ended up with this giant dish of veggie with no tofu and a tasty cup of coffee.

While huffing, puffing and sweating through this superbly hot and spicy dish and sucking down coffee I chatted with the ladies as they worked. I really love coming here and recommend it to all my friends. Which was another bonus as a long time friend was in the middle of her first visit with a group of other friends when I walked in. I love that Buffalo is just a big living room. That where ever you go in this city, you're bound to run into friends and loved ones.

The Opt-Out Launch Party was fantastically rustic. The house on North Pearl is in the midst of long term reconstruction. As I sat in the kitchen chatting with folks, the wood stove churned out tasty eats and soft plumes of smoke wove through the exposed ceiling beams. If you're interested in becoming engaged in "A vision for an alternative political-economic paradigm. Community-focused political participation. Individual economic freedom. Down-sizing, in-sourcing, copy-lefting. Communities of people, farms, workspaces, funspaces, artspaces and marketplaces. Autonomously belonging." then check out their website.

As I headed home I drove west on Allen and stopped to let four men in kilts, Santa coats and hats cross the road. They stopped in front of the truck and blew kisses and shouted thanks. I thought how amusing and charming that there was a roving band of kilted Santas. When I got closer to home, deeper in the West Side, a large group of Burmese children ran across the street crowing and laughing and throwing fruit at each other, all while wearing Christmas Tree skirts as capes and some with Santa caps on.

I had half a mind to just keep driving around the city to see what other nonsensical things might put themselves in my path. But I figured that had to be the best part of my day, and to quit while ahead.

Kale Chips

Wash the kale and dry well with either a salad spinner, bagged with holes punched in the bottom and swung until the excess is removed, or patted dry with clean dish towels. Toss with olive oil and sea salt and then bake in batches. Lay out each batch on a parchment paper or paper bag lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Handle carefully as they will be fragile. These are best when served warm, they lost some appeal when they cooled. As a side, although they were tasty hot, they were not very interesting. And they most definitely do not taste like potato chips as I've read. They taste like dried leaves from a bouquet of flowers when cold. I'll be trying these again in twice baked potatoes as I think they'll add a nice earthy flavorful crunch.

Grape Jelly

5 c of grape juice
4 c granulated sugar
1 package of Sure Jell Pectin
10 sterilized half pint jars





Boil juice, adding half the sugar and sprinkling in pectin. Stir well and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute and then add the other 2 cups of sugar, stirring well. Continue to boil for 2 to 3 more minutes. Turn off stove. Strain foam off the surface and set out jars, bands, and lids.

Pour, leaving 1/2 inch clearance between juice level and lid. Boil water in canner and then set in jars. Boil covered for 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to boil for 5 more minutes. Remove using the tongs and set on dish towels to cool.

During the next hour the lids will pop and then the jar can be stored. It takes about one week for the jelly to "jell", so be patient. Use within 6 months for best flavor.

Day 16 - South American Quinoa and Beans with Cucumber Salad

Breakdown cost of this meal.

Beans $2.99
Quinoa $1.00
Honey from Dawes Hill $1.00
Lettuce $0.80
Cucumbers $0.50
Broccoli $1.00
Cumin, salt, and pepper
Peppercorns, Coriander and Dill seed ground
Sour Cream from Byrne Dairy $1.99
A splash of organic milk

Total cost for 4 servings = $9.28

Fry the beans in olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, and honey. Turn flame down low and leave a pepper in until time to serve to add a touch of heat to the beans. Make quinoa like rice, adding 1 cup shaved broccoli in during the last five minutes. Crack peppercorns, dill and coriander seeds and mix with 1/2 cup sour cream and a splash of milk. Stir in the cucumbers and set in the freezer for 10 minutes to get very cold. Then dish and enjoy!

Green Tomato and Raspberry Jam

8 cups of quartered small green tomatoes

 1 pack of Brown's Berry Patch Raspberries

Sprinkle and mix in well 6 tbls Ball Real Fruit Pectin. Add to pot and bring to a boil. Stir frequently. It will all get juicy and brown slightly, but don't stop stirring, because you don't want it to stick and burn and it needs to get to a roiling boil.

Lower the heat so it stops boiling. Add 6 2/3 cups of sugar, mixing every two cups in well. Bring it back to a boil and stir until it starts to thicken.

 Jar and follow the canning directions I gave for the Pickled Peppers. Allow for two weeks to set. Some of them may still be juicy on the shelf, but by the time you transfer one to the fridge, the cold will set it.

WNY Bounty - The beauty of local, seasonal, heirloom organic fruits and vegetables

These tomatoes are mine, and will be used to make
Green Tomato Raspberry Jam.