Wild Rice with Grapefruit and Bok Choy Salad

It's May!  Do you know what that means?  It means the summer farmer's markets are finally starting to open!  I am so excited, it's a bit ridiculous.

In honor of this annually momentous occasion I decided to get out of my cooking comfort zone and try a new vegetable.  The vegetable of choice was bok choy.  Thank you Pak Express Farm!

So, the choice of bok choy was only the first step.  Next comes deciding what to do with it.  Bok choy is a traditional addition in stir fry, but if I was trying to branch out in vegetable choices, it seemed kinda lame to jump to the most obvious food choice.

Since my thinking always tends to be a bit circular, I happened to have wild rice salads on the brain thanks to browsing a new cookbook.  So...we have wild rice and bok choy on the brain so why not use them together?  However, a "salad" with just wild rice and bok choy sounds not so exciting.  Enter grapefruit.  I managed to convince my family to do a Feast of the Seven Fishes in lieu of our normal Christmas dinner and one of the dishes I put together was a squid and grapefruit salad.

I was hit by how fantastic the grapefruit was in a salad.  I also really enjoyed the accompanying grapefruit vinaigrette. Having that sweet citrus-y addition put the squid salad over the top.  My goal was to use the grapefruit to do the same thing here and I feel like I succeeded.  I'm pretty excited about this salad and think it will become a new summer staple.

Wild Rice with Grapefruit and Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients:

3 c. cooked wild rice and long grain blend

2 heads bok choy - sliced, stems and leaves separated

1 medium shallot - sliced

1 grapefruit - 1/2 juiced, 1/2 cut in chunks

1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

4 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:  

Cook the rice as directed on package, set aside to cool.

Heat some oil or butter in a large skillet over medium and cook shallots until they begin to soften - approximately 3 - 5 minutes.  Add bok choy stems and cook an additional 5 minutes, until they soften.

Add the bok choy leaves and cook until wilted, about another 2 minutes.

Take off the heat and mix with the rice.

Whisk the grapefruit juice, vinegar, and olive oil until emulsified.  Incorporate into the rice mixture along with the grapefruit chunks.

I was really pleased with this salad.  It had a great fresh flavor to it.  This will make an excellent side dish during summer when  you want to keep your meals light.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

This casserole goes down in the win column and my friends who partook of it at Friendsgiving agreed.  I always get a little nervous though when I serve food to others.  It's an irrational nervousness, I do realize that.  I've been cooking long enough and have a good sense of things that go well together, but there is always that chance that something comes out wrong.  And, if you have read my post about cooking with my father, you already know that me, cooking with orange juice, is a bit of a mixed bag, and this recipe called for juice of an orange.  I'm already feeling the cold sweats of fear as I imagine all the ways that OJ in the oven could cause a sticky smelly disaster.  But, as we have all figured out by now, I survived to tell the tale and bested yet another one of Maria Luisa's recipes.

What I like most about this recipe is its simplicity...sweet potatoes, apples, and orange juice.  That is really all you need.  There is a sweetener and spice thrown into the recipe as well, but those are not essential.  The standout flavor comes from the three ingredients I just listed and it's wonderful.  Maria Luisa did suggest adding liquor, but I decided that was unnecessary.  She also put this recipe in the Dessert and Candy chapter of her cookbook, which I decided was stupid.  Therefore, ignoring the alcohol addition was easy.  I might have considered it IF, IF, she had added it before baking.  She suggested sprinkling on Jamaica rum or kirsch before serving.  A) That's gross and adds nothing.  B) I was taking this to a pot luck where children would be dining with us, so no. C) Kirsch?! I'm not really sure why she wants us growing hair in unnecessary places.  Feel like getting crazy and throwing in an ounce of rum with the orange juice and then baking?  Go for it.  That would probably taste good...but after? No.

Setting aside Maria Luisa's general level of ridiculousness, this is a great recipe.  It's also a good beginner level recipe.  The ability to slice and peel is as skilled as you need to be.  Though, as I am writing this I am remembering a day when a dear dear friend of mine proved that peeling a potato does indeed require skill.  I stood, in abject horror, watching her massacre a normally hearty russet potato.  Before she could demoralize Mr. Russet any further, I yanked him from her grasp and told her that if she wanted to help, she could pour the wine.  Things worked much better in the kitchen after that.  As long as you are not her, you can make this recipe easy peasy.

Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Dolce di Patate e Mele

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sweet potatoes

3 apples - peeled, cored, and sliced fairly thin

Sugar and nutmeg - enough to sprinkle on as directed

Juice of 1 1/2 oranges

2 Tbsp butter - melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.  Boil the sweet potatoes in water until tender, about 20 minutes.  When they are done, drain, let them cool for a bit, and then peel.  Peeling sweet potatoes is super easy and should not even require a peeler.  The skins will come off right in your hands.

Cut the sweet potatoes into slices, approximately 1/2 inch thick.  You will create the casserole in layers, in a buttered baking dish, starting with the sweet potatoes,

then adding the apples,

and then sprinkling on some sugar and nutmeg.

In total, I probably used about 1/4 cup of sugar and a single teaspoon of nutmeg.  Keep repeating until you have used all of the sweet potatoes and apples.  I ended up with three layers of each.  Finish with a sprinkling of sugar and nutmeg.

Then, pour the juice and melted butter over the top.

Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Yea, I had this vision of a dark brown and bubbly something but that's not what you get here.  The time in the oven is really just meant to soften the apple slices.  It tastes phenomenal and smells even better as it cooks, that I promise you.  If autumn could be captured in a pan, it would be this.

R.I.P Tablespoon

It is with a heavy heart that today we say goodbye to Tablespoon.  You have served us well and, on occasion, served us.  You have scooped many an ingredient but, sadly, rice croquettes were literally the death of you.  You will be missed.

I'm not going to lie.  I was just a bit more than devastated to hear and feel the cracking of my tablespoon as I pulled up some rice mixture.  Making these little nuggets was already a test of my patience.  They did not want to stick together on their own and the stickier my hands became, the harder it was to form the balls.  Then the tablespoon snaps in half...a truly sad moment.  I've had that tablespoon for YEARS.  What made it even worse was that I thought back to my very first tablespoon, a tablespoon that is still living comfortably in my mother's kitchen.  It's part of a multicolored set of measuring spoons that came with my very first cookbook Kids Cooking: A very slightly messy manual.  How can a set of measuring spoons that must be at least 20 years old by now have lasted longer than the tablespoon of only 8 years?  Probably because I would never dare use that precious set to scoop rice balls.  Whenever I cook at my mother's I go for those measuring spoons immediately. I love those tablespoons...they may go "mysteriously" missing the next time I visit. I'm going to have to move on now, I'm getting way too nostalgic over baking utensils.

Rice croquettes!

Let's just say there is a reason I do not fry anything...and it's not for health reasons.  My fry skills are less than stellar.  Maybe it was the tightness of my rice balls, maybe it was the temp of the oil, or maybe it was the amount of time the rice balls spent in the oil.  Whatever it was, it produced a comedic show of me desperately trying to rescue disintegrating food from a vat of bubbling oil.  I did manage to rescue several that could sort of be considered croquettes.  Thankfully, as happens in these situations, they tasted better than they looked.

Rice Croquettes Roman Style

Crochette di Riso alla Romana

Ingredients:

2 c. rice

3 Tbsp tomato sauce

4 Tbsp butter - melted

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese - grated

2 eggs - beaten

1 c. mozzarella cheese - diced

1 c. bread crumbs

2 c. vegetable oil

Directions:

Cook the rice in salted boiling water until they are tender but still firm, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Once it's cool enough to work with, mix in tomato sauce, butter, Parmesan cheese, and eggs.

Shape into an oblong croquette by spreading 1 tablespoon of rice in the palm of your hand,

place a piece of mozzarella in the center,

top with another tablespoon of rice, and firmly press it all together.

Roll in the bread crumbs.

Repeat until all the rice is used.  I was able to make 34 croquettes.  Fry a few at a time in hot oil until golden on all sides.

As you can see, I was not lying.  These guys came out looking less than amazing.  Thankfully, they tasted great.  The ones that did manage to stay together held up well.  They were firm but soft inside with a nice surprise of mozzarella cheese in the middle.  

If you choose to make these or anything similar, ever, I wish you well!  I think it will be a long time before I tackle croquettes again.

Don't hate on the Ramen

Personally, I think Ramen Noodles are every home cook's dirty little secret.  It's cheap.  It can be used a myriad of ways.  But, no one ever wants to be seen purchasing it.  You may even avoid telling people you used it in a recipe until someone gushes and asks for it, at which point you whisper ever so conspiratorially, "I used ramen!"  Don't worry, I look over my shoulder too when I grab a package.  Mainly because I don't want anyone who sees me buying it to think I will be using that sodium overload flavor packet.  That flavor packet should be the first thing you toss out, but the noodles are great.  Honestly, 12 packages for less than a single box of the other stuff.  Embrace the ramen!

Today's particular nugget of goodness, Broccoli Salad with Ramen Noodles, is the result of having had a few different salads that included ramen in the recipe.  I have yet to meet a salad with ramen that I have not like, but I was curious what my version would look like.  And these salads really are all about the look.  It should be colorful.    Things that are colorful grab your attention and beg to be eaten immediately.  This is one of the reasons I included dried cranberries.  I also wanted a little bit of sweetness added to the mix.

Most recipes call for a bag of coleslaw or broccoli slaw, which makes this a super simple thing you can throw together the morning of a party.  However, I decided I should make things complicated and I shredded my own cabbage.  You do not need to do this, you can cut out 3 of the ingredients and reduce prep time by half if you go the bagged route.  Again, though, I like to be complicated so...typically you can purchase half heads in the grocery store, which is what I did.  Since I was taking this salad to a party where lots of other people were bringing salads, I did not want to make a ton.  Therefore, I used half of the half heads I purchased.  Given everything else I add, it was more than enough.  I would say this recipe, as a small side dish, is enough for 8 people.

One major difference with this salad is that I only used a small amount of sugar in the dressing.  Basic dressings for this type of salad include: oil, vinegar, and sugar.  Simple, right?  The catch is the amount of sugar used.  I have seen recipes that call for anywhere from three tablespoons to a half cup.  The ones that use the most sugar are the ones that use distilled white vinegar.  The addition of the sugar makes the vinegar more palatable.  Why on earth you would choose to use a vinegar best left to cleaning your sink or unclogging your bathtub is beyond me, but to each his or her own.  My preference is red wine vinegar.

Broccoli Salad with Ramen Noodles

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Almond slivers - toasted
1/3 c. Dried cranberries
1 pkg. Ramen noodles
3 Green onions
1/4 head Red cabbage
1/4 head Savoy cabbage
1/4 c. Carrots - matchstick style
1/2 c. Broccoli bits
1/4 c. Sunflower seeds
1/2 c. Olive oil
1/3 c. Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat a large saute pan and toast almond slivers.  This should take approximately 3 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.  I over toasted some of the smaller pieces trying to get as many of the larger pieces toasted as I could.  Those pieces I kept out of the salad.  Set aside.

Take the ramen noodles out of their original packaging and put it in a storage bag.  Using a rolling pin, break up the ramen into small pieces.  Shred the red and green cabbage.  Place everything into a large bowl.

Add the toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, and matchstick carrots.

Add the green onions and dried cranberries.

Now for the broccoli.  Because I wanted the half cup of broccoli to go as far as possible, I cut off small sprigs of broccoli from a larger crown and chopped that up.  In all it was about a third of the crown I had purchased.  Stir until everything is well mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil and vinegar until emulsified.  Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.  I do realize that above there is a short rant about adding sugar, but here we are only using a single tablespoon.  It is just enough to cut through the acid so no one has that not always pleasant bite of vinegar as they munch on this salad.

Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.  Cover the bowl with some saran wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for about two hours.  Letting the salad sit allows the dressing to soften the ramen.  That part is key, do not skimp on the resting time!

The vegetables and nuts have a nice crunch.  The dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness.  When all is said and done, you will have a great salad to add to your summer barbecue.

Curry Smashed Potatoes

Granted, I might be incurring the wrath of the food gods by writing this for all the interweb to read but, I don't get it.  If you want mashed potatoes, make mashed potatoes.  If you want roasted potatoes, roast up some potatoes.  What is with this obsession for this weird in between stage? I made some "smashed" potatoes and they were fine but I kind of feel like I threw a temper tantrum in the middle of cooking and took a stick to my roasted potato.  But whatever, it does add to the cool factor when you are putting your pretty, dinner party ready, plate together for all to see and admire.  Plus, the likelihood of me making smashed potatoes again is pretty high since I did like smashing them :)

Ingredients:

Oil
Water
Potatoes
Curry powder

[Yea...I know...but honestly, it is all based on the number of potatoes you decide to make up.  Are you feeding a dinner party's worth of people? Grab a 3 lb bag of red potatoes.  Are you feeding just yourself for the next couple of days?  Throw 6 new baby potatoes into a pot.]

Direction:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Put the potatoes into a pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes.  You want to potatoes to be tender so that they become smashable.

Remove the potatoes and place them on a baking sheet you have greased with a little oil.  Using your hand or a potato masher, flatten the potatoes.  If you use your hand, I'm going to state the obvious and and tell you to let them cool a bit first...we do not want any injuries here!  I used a potato masher and I did not feel as if I had the best control so I would suggest simply using your hands on this one.

Brush the potatoes with a little oil and sprinkle on curry powder.

Bake for 10 minutes, flip the potatoes, sprinkle with curry powder, and finish baking for another 10 minutes.