Shrimp with Roasted Peppers and Black Beans

To make this you should have some lovely NYT-style black beans in your freezer to thaw out like I did. Maybe a nice cache of roasted poblano and red bell peppers too. That way it would be really easy for you to throw this together!
I guess you could always open a can of black beans and saute add them to some sauteed onions, garlic and cilantro, but how nice would it be if you had a whole bunch of home-cooked beans in your freezer just waiting on you to love them? This dream is even easier to make come true if you've got yourself a pressure cooker. Which I now do! Finally got over my parent-induced fear of those beasts. You never forget the top of one of those suckers blowing sky high when you're nine. These days there are safety features in place that won't allow the pots to be opened while still under pressure. And, my electric one doesn't make all the scary noises I remember emanating from my mother's steam breathing monster.

Ok, back to the recipe...you could also use non-roasted poblanos and just saute them up with the corn and roasted red peppers. AND, you could also just buy jarred red peppers to use in the sauce and to dice. So, a lot of short cuts you can take if you're short on time.

I had to make something with shrimp even though I'd gone to the store to buy fish fillets. When my fishmonger calls me to tell me they've got fresh Gulf shrimp in, I'd best follow up. Takes a lot of work to cultivate that kind of relationship and I don't wanna mess it up!

There are no real quantities here folks, just add stuff to taste.

Shrimp with Roasted Peppers and Black Beans:

A pot of NYT black beans (or canned beans added to sauteed onion/garlic/cilantro)
however many largish shrimp you've got, peeled and deveined
a couple cloves of garlic, chopped
a dash of chili powder (go easy on this one)
a touch of cumin
kosher salt
olive oil
roasted (or not, if not roasted saute these before adding shrimp to skillet) poblano peppers, diced
roasted red bell pepper, diced
frozen corn, thawed
roasted red pepper sauce (recipe follows)
optional: diced jalapeno or serrano, seeded
queso fresco (with jalapeno), grated
fresh lime wedges
fresh cilantro

Heat pot of beans.
In a bowl, toss shrimp with garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt.
Heat oil in non-stick skillet and add shrimp, cooking ~1-2 minutes on first side, then flip.
Add in poblanos, red peppers, corn and jalapeno if using and heat through while second side of shrimp cooks.
Toss with grated queso fresco and remove to a bowl. Add in some roasted red pepper sauce and toss to coat. You don't want to heat the sauce in the skillet or the yogurt might curdle.
To serve, layer beans topped with shrimp mixture, fresh cilantro and a nice squeeze of lime.

Red Pepper Sauce:
(adapted from Biscuits, Pancakes and Quick Breads)

2 large roasted red bell peppers
1 Tbs canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2-1 tsp Asian chile-garlic sauce
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (I made this a second time with veggie broth)
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt (Fage...original recipe uses sour cream)
(original recipe also used 1 Tbs chopped cilantro added after taken off heat)

Finely mince 1 1/2 of the peppers (dice the remaining 1/2 pepper to add in to your shrimp hash).
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion, minced peppers, chile-garlic sauce, and cumin. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes, until onions begin to soften.
Stir in the broth and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until reduced somewhat.
I blended it at this point with a stick blender in a smaller bowl. You could also use a regular blender.
Wait for the sauce to cool, then whisk in your yogurt and season with salt and pepper if needed.
If you're making the sauce in advance and plan to use it later, refrigerate it; reheat gently without letting the sauce come to a boil.

Yields about 1 1/2 cups of sauce

Brown Soda Bread with Fish Stew

Don't tell anyone how unbelievably easy this is to make, just let them continue to think you kitchen goddess or god. Lightly toasted and buttered...Nom! Don't worry about lining the ends of the pan with parchment. Just make a sling that will span the width of the pan and end up lining the long sides and bottom. Makes it easy to take out of the pan. Visit your grocery store's bulk section for the wheat germ if you don't usually keep it on hand.

I'm also reposting the fish stew I made to go with it that happens to fall into the same category; super easy and muy delicioso. Tonight's stew was made with wild Alaskan cod.

Brown Soda Bread:
(Mar. 2010 issue Cooking Light)

11.25 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup steel-cut oats (such as McCann's)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon wheat germ (I used toasted wheat germ)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used fine sea salt, and next time I'd add a bit more since we use unsalted butter)
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°.

Coat a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, and coat with cooking spray.

Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and next 6 ingredients (through salt). Combine buttermilk and egg; add to flour mixture. Stir just until combined.

Spoon the mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (I think I baked for about 10 minutes extra before the pick came out cleanly, but check at an hour and five). Invert bread onto a wire rack; remove parchment; cool completely then slice away.

Fish Stew:
(Simply Recipes)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil (original recipe calls for 6)
1 cup of chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
~1 cup of fresh chopped tomato (I use 2 medium-large sized tomatoes)
2 tsp of tomato paste.
8 oz bottle of clam juice (or shellfish stock)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lb fish fillets (use halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
Touch of Tabasco, a couple sprigs of fresh thyme, black pepper
Salt

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish (and fresh thyme sprigs if using) and simmer until fish is cooked through, less than 10 minutes. Add seasoning. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve. I drizzled a little more olive oil on top of each of our bowls.

Serves 3-4.

Risotto with Kale and Beets (Barley version):

Well, I wish I hadn't goobered up my photo with that blob of chevre on top of the risotto, but too late now. This alternate version to the Beet and Kale Risotto I posted about last week was really good. A chewier consistency due to the barley, but it's a more nutritious grain.
Unlike the photo shows, I prefered the leftovers with the addition of a queso fresco with jalapenos to the chevre. Very nice. I also liked it mixed with some fresh spinach or baby arugula.
I went with golden beets rather than the red, but it's pretty either way.
I also felt the kale could use with some braising rather than just wilting it. Really only takes a few more minutes to do and you wind up with a nicer consistency on the kale.

Barley Risotto with Beets and Kale:
(based on Austin's Olivia restaurant's recipe)

1 pound golden beets
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
agave nectar to taste (I added this in because the red wine vinegar needed something to mellow it out a little)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 cups chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
3 cups+ ~1/4-1/3 cup vegetable broth, or reduced salt chicken broth; divided
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp+ salt

Preheat oven to 350°

Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Wrap beets in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven; cool. Trim off beet roots and stems; rub off skins. Cut beets into quarters. Place beets, vinegar, tarragon, and 1 tablespoon oil in a blender. Process until smooth; balance flavors with a little agave nectar if you feel it's needed; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Heat 1 Tbs oil in pan and add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add kale to pan; cook until kale wilts, stirring frequently, add about 1/4-1/3 cup of broth, cover and reduce heat to low for about 10 minutes. Remove kale mixture from pan; wipe pan clean.

Bring 3 cups broth and 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat (I actually nuked the broth in a 4 cup glass measuring cup and renuked if needed throughout).

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add barley; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next, until all broth has been used. Should take around 30-40 minutes. Test the barley after you've added all the liquid and if you feel it could take more just heat up a bit more broth and keep stirring away.

Stir in pureed beet mixture, kale, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Top with slices of queso fresco, or whatever else floats your boat...again nice on top of some fresh baby spinach or baby arugula.

Risotto with Beets and Kale:

On a recent trip I grabbed the latest copy of Cooking Light magazine to read on the plane. What did I find inside but an article featuring the restaurant the Monster had taken me to for my birthday a few weeks prior. In the magazine, the restaurant shared a recipe for beet risotto that caught my attention. Gorgeous color and met the requirements of appearing tasty and fairly healthy.

I was lucky enough to see an old friend for the first time in about 20 years on my visit.
We got a little snap happy. :-)

She just happens to share her life with a wonderful cook (she's pretty amazing in this dept. too) AND an immense Wolf range. Long story short, after walking to Whole Foods and braving a freako hail storm (in SF?!) on the way home, we made the risotto recipe.
The only thing I'd suggest doing differently from what you'll see in the photos is to cook the risotto in a non-reactive pan. Stick with a good stainless steel pan for this one.

Tonight I plan on making a version using golden beets and barley in lieu of the red beets and arborio rice from the first round...will update with the alternative recipe if it works out!

Risotto with Beets and Kale:
(slightly adapted from Olivia restaurant's recipe)

1 pound red beets
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 cups chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
2 cups vegetable broth, or reduced salt chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp+ salt
Optional...not: chevre or other nice fresh goat cheese. Fyi, Humbolt Fog is awesome with it.

Preheat oven to 350°

Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Wrap beets in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven; cool. Trim off beet roots and stems; rub off skins. Cut beets into quarters. Place beets, vinegar, tarragon, and 1 tablespoon oil in a blender. Process until smooth; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Heat 1 Tbs oil in pan and add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add kale to pan; cook 5 minutes or until kale wilts, stirring frequently. Remove kale mixture from pan; wipe pan clean.

Bring broth and 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next, until all broth has been used. Should take around 20 minutes.

Stir in pureed beet mixture, kale, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Remove from pan and serve topped with a bit of nice fresh goat cheese on each plate if you know what's good fer ya.

Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Olives

I knew this would be a winner when I came across the recipe in March's issue of Cooking Light.
All of the ingredients are things that I love. This is a great easy side dish for fish. In last night's case, wild Alaskan cod rubbed with a bit of olive oil, sprinkled with smoked sweet paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper and thinly sliced lemon, then baked at 450 for about 10 minutes.
Finish off the meal with a simple arugula salad...perfection.

Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Olives:
(Cooking Light Mar. 2010)

1 large head of cauliflower, sliced at about 1/4 inch...try to get them all about the same width
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (2nd time making this I dried the chickpeas off with paper toweling and they got nice and crispitty...awesome!)
24 Spanish olives, halved
8 cloves of garlic, coursely chopped
3 Tbs good olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
~1/2-1 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbs chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 450.
Place all ingredients, but the parsley on a large baking sheet and toss to coat.
Roast for ~12 min. then stir.
Continue roasting for about another 12 min., then remove from oven and toss with parsley.
Serve warm.

If making fish, you can just pop the fish in the same oven after you stir the cauliflower at 12 minutes and they'll be done about the same time.

Langues de Gene Simmons (aka. Olive Oil Crackers) 2 Ways:

Debbie and I got crazy in the kitchen with a borrowed pasta machine the other day and whipped up 2 kinds of lovely rustic crackers. Much fun! First recipe we made was found on a blog I read and uses white unbleached flour. Not my favorite thing to use in the kitchen as my tastes run more towards whole grains. That doesn't mean they weren't fantastic crackers though. We added some fresh rosemary from my garden and fresh cracked black pepper to the dough too. Fabulous.
I had to try another batch using my favorite spelt flour, so we mixed up a 1/2 batch using the spelt and a mix of seeds. Yum!
All this to say...you really need to be making your own damn crackers people! So much fun, so easy, and you'll knock your friends socks off (this has not been proven). Put whatever you'd like in them and they'll be awesome. You sure don't need a pasta machine to make them, but it was fun to use. A rolling pin would work well too I'm sure. You will however need a scale if you go by the recipe I'm posting, since all Nourish Me's instructions were in metric grams.

Rosemary and Black Pepper Olive Oil Crackers:
(base recipe from Nourish Me's blog)

250g of sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
125 ml of water
2 Tbs good olive oil + more for brushing
flaked sea salt

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl (or the bowl of a mixer), then add rosemary and pepper.
Make a well in the center and pour in water and olive oil.
Either mix by hand or use the paddle attachment on your mixer to work to a dough.
Turn out onto a very lightly floured bench and knead until smooth.
Wrap in Saran wrap or a clean tea towel and rest in fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425.
Dust the bench and keep flour close at hand.
Cut off or pull off walnut-sized blobs and roll them out in long, thin tongues if using a rolling pin. Or alternately, use a pasta machine going to ~5 thinness. We took them all the way to 6, but I found I liked the slightly thicker ones much better.

Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush liberally with good olive oil. Lightly sprinkle each with flaked sea salt. Less is more we found. Bake in batches for 6-8 minutes.
Look for a pale gold but no darker...Nourish Me says pale gold is good; deep gold is burnt.

Seedy Spelt Olive Oil Crackers:

250g whole spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs sesame seeds (we actually used sesame Gomasio, but I'm not sure about the seaweed flavor)
2 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs flax seeds
1/2 tsp garlic powder
125g water (might need about 1 Tbs more)
2 Tbs olive oil

Sift spelt flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add seeds and stir.
Make a well at the center and add water and olive oil. Mix until all comes together as a dough.
You won't really have to knead this one. Just make sure there's enough water and olive oil to bring it together in a smoothish dough.
Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425.
Follow instructions for recipe above at this point...rolling out into long thin tongues of dough, brushing liberally with good olive oil, and sprinkling lightly with flaked sea salt. If using a pasta machine, you'll only be able to take these to about a 4 thinness. The seeds will get stuck and rip the dough beyond that.
Bake until lightly gold...or as near as you can tell, given it'll be a darker cracker. Make sure you're standing at the oven as they can go from perfect to burnt fairly quickly.
We ate these with curried green pea soup. 5 ingredients...you've gotta try it. Delish!

Sun-dried Tomato Relish over Salmon

I don't know what possessed the Monster and I to buy a humongous jar of sun-dried tomatoes at Costco, but buy it we did. Not having cooked with sun-dried tomatoes all that often, I see many an internet recipe search in my near future. But, even if I don't come across any others that strike my fancy I'd be perfectly happy making more batches of this goodness. A quick relish that comes together in no time using a food processor, this sauce would be perfect with most anything...pasta, chicken, fish, thinned out a bit with some water and added balsamic for salad dressing, or even a bruschetta topping with goat cheese (the wrap I made for lunch with 2 leftover turkey and spinach meatballs in a spelt tortilla was fantastic with the relish!).
We ate the relish on top of wild Alaskan salmon (baked at 450 for 9-10 minutes). It also tasted great on the asparagus we paired with the fish.

Sun-dried Tomato Relish:
(Kalyn's Kitchen who slightly adapted it from Fine Cooking Magazine)

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/4 cup drained and pitted kalamata olives
1 T chopped red onion
1 T capers
2 T chopped parsley (or more)
(original recipe had chopped oregano too)
2 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
5 T extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Put sun-dried tomatoes into food processor with steel blade, and process about 30 seconds. Add olives, red onion, and capers, and process about 30 seconds more. Add all remaining ingredients and process about one minute, or until ingredients are uniform size and well combined. Serve over baked/grilled fish, or whatever else suits your fancy.