Apples + Onions

Apples sautéed with onions is quite possibly one of my favorite combinations.

Throw in some browned butter, sage, chèvre, and toast and you have a delicious appetizer - or, in my case, breakfast.  Something about this is reminiscent of stuffing (probably the onions and sage) and everything about this says fall.  Heck, I picked the sage from my Mid-Autumn garden this morning.

Speaking of fall, the trees on the south side of my home have begun dropping leaves!  This is exciting, because I can start taking food photos inside again.  Yeah, yeah, it was seventy-two degrees yesterday, but I wrote this post this morning and the high today is in the forties.  Not bad, but it's nice to keep my breakfast indoors and eat it while it's hot.  Plus, I have a cold.  Or allergies.  I still haven't decided three days into it.

After making these crostini, I realized that the apple-onion-sage combo would also make just about the best home fries ever.  Tossing a couple chopped potatoes (all standard or combined with sweet potatoes) along with the onions would be fantastic.  Something to think about for your next, ahem, dinner party (Thanksgiving side dish).

*Side Note: I use tags and labels for every post, along with putting links to each in the Recipe Index. Recently, I have been trying to tag everything that is vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, but also want to include tags when each is just an option.  Today, for instance, the butter can be switched for olive oil and the cheese left off.  And with crostini, gluten-free bread isn't so bad. I plan to update the Recipe Index to include separate sections for these categories, too.  Librarian-ed.

APPLE ONION CROSTINI

• 1/4 cup butter, separated
• Sprig of fresh sage, with about 8-10 leaves
• 1 onion, sliced thinly hull-to-hull
• 2 apples
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 6-8 slices good-quality, artisan-style bread
• Chèvre, to top

After rinsing sage, separate into individual leaves and dry thoroughly between the layers of a dish towel. Set aside while melting three tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Once the butter is melted and starting to foam, add the sage leaves.  Allow them to crisp up and became fully saturated with the butter.  If the butter starts to brown, that's great!  Turn the heat to low until the sage is cooked (or take off the heat if using an electric stove).  The whole process can take a few minutes.

Remove the sage leaves to a paper towel and set aside.  Add sliced onions to the skillet and turn up the heat to medium-high.  Salt the onions to help them break down and develop flavor.  Tossing only occasionally, allow the onions to soften and begin to brown.  While you are waiting for them to cook, dice the apples, then add them to the skillet.

I pretty much always use a non-stick skillet, but also love some browning.  To achieve this in a non-stick skillet, resist the temptation to stir often.  I tend to toss ingredients in the pan once every few minutes.  During the few-minutes-waiting-periods, butter the bread slices with the remaining tablespoon of butter and place under a broiler for about 3 minutes, until toasted and golden, depending on your broiler.  Of course, if you have an actual toaster, you can use that, too, logically buttering the toast afterwards.  No kitchen fires, please.

When the apples and onions are softened and some edges are browned, turn off heat and stir in apple cider vinegar.  Divide the mixture evenly over the toasts and top each with chèvre and fried sage leaves. Serve warm.

The Best Beets

Beets are one of those vegetables that make people think, "Oh, do I have to?"

While I've never disliked beets and have always been in love with their color, I was never really into them until I had this salad.  Beets and walnuts make such a lovely combination!  The tender beets, toasted nuts, and bright vinaigrette may just change beets for you, too.

Growing up, my experience with beets was mostly limited to my mom's "Blender Borscht," a chilled, smooth, and hot pink soup we would have alongside knaidlach.  This is also a very good way to eat beets, but it's not my go-to. The reason is not that I don't like it, because I do, but just that I forget about it.  It does require a blender and since I didn't have one for a long time, the borscht made a permanent home in the back of my mind...kind of like how I ignore recipes that require a microwave. However, I have a blender now and that borscht would make beautiful photos for this blog!

But back to the excellent salad...

BEET SALAD

• 1# beets, with their greens
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 3 T. olive oil (or combination with walnut oil, if you have it)
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 cup parsley
• Fresh baby spinach or mixed greens, for serving
• Blue cheese, chèvre, or feta, to top

Remove greens and scrub beets well. Place them in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Wash a few of the greens, chop and set aside.  Bring the beets to a boil and cook for about an hour, until tender.  You can cover the pan if there is enough space between the water level and the top, or keep an eye on the pot and add water as the beets are exposed.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts over low heat, allow to cool, chop coarsely, and set aside in a large bowl. In a small bowl (or measuring cup), combine vinegars, oil(s), and salt.  Set aside. 

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and parboil onions until just translucent, about two or three minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse well with cold water - even the extra-pungent onion I had smelled sweet and fresh and almost floral after parboiling!  Add the well drained onions to the vinaigrette.  While this is not absolutely necessary, I found that in the vinaigrette was a convenient place to keep the onions while waiting for the beets. They also picked up a little extra tartness from the vinegar, which was so nice.

Chop the parsley and add to the bowl with the walnuts, along with the chopped beet greens.

When the beets are fork tender, strain in a colander and run them under cold water.  Peel the beets and chop into large dice.  You could also do slices, but as I have mentioned before, I do not like unwieldy bites of messy foods. Respect your diner (even if that's you)!

Add the beets to the large bowl with the walnuts and greens.  Pour over the vinaigrette and onions and stir to combine well.  Allow to sit for about a half hour, to allow flavors to meld, but you can skip this step if you're hungry and need to get dinner on the table.

Serve over a bed of mixed greens and top with your choice of cheese.  I used blue cheese here, but feta is really great.  The supermarket closest to me only had dry, mediocre feta. Boo.  I love chèvre on pretty much everything. Enjoy your delicious beets!

*Oh, and remember that you had beets later on when you have to pee. (*Sighs with relief.*)

Japanese Pickled Ginger and Sushi at Home. Sort of...

Like many, one of my favorite meals out is sushi.  I have made (vegetarian) sushi at home, too, which is a lot of fun, but also an event.

When I'm wanting the flavor of sushi without the cost of going out or all the work, I make "Sushi Salad."  It satisfies my craving and is fairly easy to make.  It does call for a few specialty ingredients, like the pickled ginger that is a standard at sushi bars, which I tried making at home recently with very good results.

If you have a mandoline (I'm absolutely loving my new one!), Japanese Pickled Ginger is quite simple. Slicing the ginger paper thin is definitely the most difficult and time-consuming part, but it's certainly worth the effort.

I bought about a pound of ginger a few weeks ago at the Asian market with the intention of making the condiment, and I was lucky enough to find very fresh, young ginger at a good price.  I made a double recipe, which is a couple pints, and the ginger will keep for months in the refrigerator.

So, basically, I have a lot of home sushi projects to complete in the coming year.  For now, I will settle for my simple sushi salad.  The flavor and texture of the pickled ginger is so nice, though, and I may dream up other ways to use it.  At the very least, it make for a great pick-me-up and cook's snack while other ingredients are being prepped.

JAPANESE PICKLED GINGER
(adapted from The Joy of Pickling, by Linda Zeidrich)

• 8 oz. fresh, peeled ginger, very thinly sliced
• 1 t. sea salt (or pickling salt), plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 t. soy sauce

Bring a saucepan with about a quart of water to a boil.   Add ginger and return to boil.  Boil ginger for a few seconds and drain well in a colander.  Place ginger in a bowl and sprinkle very lightly with salt.  Toss to coat and pack into one pint or two half-pint jars.  These are quick fridge pickles and a loose pack will be fine.

In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar, one teaspoon salt, sugar, and soy sauce to a simmer.  Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Pour hot mixture over ginger and cap the jars.  Store them in the refrigerator for at least two days before using. Ginger will keep for several months.

Of course, you can also find pickled ginger at an Asian grocery, but it will likely have MSG and pink food dye.  I won't judge you.

SUSHI SALAD

• 1 1/2 cup rice - I like brown rice in this application
• 1/4 cup plus 3 T. rice vinegar (again, unseasoned)
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 2 T. sesame seeds (I like the black ones for this, but I'm out of them at the moment)
• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 2 T. Japanese Pickled Ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned (or fine dice)
• 1 cucumber, seeded and julienned (or fine dice)
• 1 avocado, sliced thin
• 2 t. wasabi powder
• 3 T. water
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. ginger pickling brine
• 1-2 sheets nori

Cook rice according to type and transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and stir until sugar and salt is dissolved.  Stir into cooked rice along with sesame seeds.  Stir in three tablespoons vinegar, oil, ginger, carrots, and cucumber.  Set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine wasabi powder, water, soy sauce, and pickling brine. Set aside.

In serving bowl, place rice mixture and top with avocado.  Drizzle with wasabi mixture and strips of nori.  With the nori, I like to cut a sheet in thirds with kitchen shears, roll lengthwise, and cut crosswise with the shears over the salad.  Enjoy!

Pad Thai at Home...with Bacon!

I've heard that orders for Pad Thai in Thai restaurants outpaces every other dish on the menu by a landslide. In me, this triggers the response of ordering something different when I go out for Thai (and I highly suggest the Pad See Ew at Thai Monkey Club in Denver) .  But I do love Pad Thai.

There are a couple of issues with making my favorite recipe for Pad Thai at home, however.  Namely, it calls for shrimp and that means I'd have to make a special trip to the store and spend more than I'm willing for sustainable seafood on a weeknight.  Same with the tamarind puree.  And just where does one find "sweet" radishes?  But since I am still reaping the benefits of my shopping trip to H-Mart, I do have plenty of rice noodles and at the time, I had lots of shiitakes.

A couple of impulse buys and substitutions later, and Bacon Pad Thai is on.  At home.  So I traded brown sugar for palm sugar, ketchup for tamarind puree, cucumber for sweet radish, and a lovely combo of bacon and shiitakes for shrimp.  I think that's enough to call a recipe my own, don't you?

Also, this is a good recipe for mise en place, as there is some knife work and a few different parts that come together quickly. Consciously shifting the time spent on cooking to prep work allowed me to focus on neatly chopped and julienned vegetables. Aren't they pretty?

And then it really is a snap to put together. I did have a head start because I had purchased bacon as a reward for completing the food sensitivity thing and had pre-cooked half the package for another meal. Okay, just BLTs my way, which will hopefully be another post soon.

Also, mise en place cooking results in many photos, in my case.  I hope you are inspired to try out the recipe and make your own substitutions to make it work for you. For example, you could sub extra tofu and mushrooms for bacon and watered-down soy sauce for the fish sauce if you're a vegetarian. Or if you do keep shrimp stocked at home, you can go back to the standard.  So, settle in for some knife skills practice and enjoy your restaurant meal at home.

BACON PAD THAI

• 8 oz. rice noodles (medium width)

• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. ketchup
• 2 T. fish sauce
• 1 T. lime juice
• 2 T. white vinegar
• 1 t. paprika
• 1/2 t. cayenne, or to taste
• 1 t. salt

• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. onion, minced
• 2 T. cucumber, seeded and minced
• 2 T. carrot, julienned (optional)
• 1/4 cup tofu, julienned
• 3-4 strips cooked bacon, chopped finely
• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, plus more to garnish
• lime wedges, to garnish
• chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Soak noodles in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes, as you begin to prep the rest of the ingredients. Then drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.  This might be a good time to beat the eggs in another small bowl and set aside, as well.

Heat oil in a large (non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic, onion, cucumber, carrot, tofu, and bacon. Toss gently in the oil and cook until vegetables soften.  It will smell really, really good.  Push vegetables to the side of the pan and allow the oil to re-coat the pan.  Pour in beaten eggs.  As the eggs set, push in edges with a spatula and continue until eggs are cooked through and separated into pieces.

Mix everything back together and add the softened noodles.  Pour in the water and reduce the heat to medium. Allow the steam to cook the noodles for two or three minutes.  Then add the sauce and sprouts and stir to coat. Continue to cook for about five minutes, allowing the noodles to absorb the sauce and the pan to become almost dry.

Place into serving bowls and top with peanuts, lime, and cilantro.  Enjoy!