Smothered Yellow Squash with Basil



Smothering is a Cajun cooking term that refers to browning anything from meat to vegetables in oil, then braising it in a small amount of liquid, tightly covered, until tender. It makes a nice, quick side vegetable and makes great use of soon to be plentiful squash and basil.

Smothered Yellow Squash with Basil:
(Gourmet Magazine)



2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 lb medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup water (I used chicken broth and it was super yummy)

1/4+ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

~1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil



Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add half of squash and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.
Transfer browned squash to a bowl, then heat remaining tablespoon oil and sauté remaining squash in same manner.
Return squash in bowl to skillet. Add garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add water/broth, salt, and pepper and simmer briskly, covered, until squash is tender and most of liquid is evaporated, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in basil.


Makes 4 servings.


Smothered Tofu Steak and Onions

I found a teaser Cuisine magazine in our mailbox the other day and in it a recipe for Salisbury steak...my most favoritest of tv dinners as a kid! Probably because I rarely got tv dinners. I was a true granola girl who's favorite snack was straight vinegar scooped up in lettuce leaves til my lips were white (pretty sure my innards have been preserved for life).
The recipe I found did not come in a frozen lump made with untold icky things in it. Nor did it call for cans of condensed soup, or anything else I couldn't easily sub out (sugar becomes agave nectar). Then, in the same day, I came across this vegan recipe that looked vaguely similar to the aforementioned steak recipe. I figured I'd better give this one a go first, or I'd make the steak and never look back! That said, I did not make this vegan...or even vegetarian for that matter. I used organic chicken broth in the sauce since I had a quart of it open in the fridge. The original recipe calls for water, so just use that if you be veggie....oh and vegetarian Worchestershire sauce too I spose, since regular has wee little fishies in it. :-)

Making this last night I came to a startling realization...I'm NOT going to stop using the Lee & Perrins Worschestershire sauce, even though it's got high-fructose corn syrup in it. Painful though it is to finally admit that to myself. Last night I mixed up the balsamic and my organic non-L&P worchestershire sauce, had the forsight to taste it....bluck! So THAT'S why I've not being liking stuff that's called for Worchestershire sauce lately!! I've been using the organic one with no HFCS and it is so not the same. So bring on the HFCS I say...guess I'll have to make an exception in this one case. Somethin' else'll surely kill us before a Tbs here and there of Worchestershire sauce....

I improvised with amounts for the sauce, since several people said they'd double the sauce next time they made it. Same amount of onion, just added more vinegar, Worchestershire, broth/water, and cornstarch. I thought the sauce was really tasty (especially over the mashed potatoes), but the tofu needed some extra love. Not sure what I'd do to it next time. Maybe garlic powder and thyme, or marinating the tofu in something first?...hm.

Smothered Tofu Steak and Onions:

Ingredients (use vegan versions if that's your preference):

1 package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
1 lg. onion, sliced root to stem
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup extra chicken broth or water
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Slice Tofu into 6 even cutlets about 1/2 inch thick. Place on paper towel to drain. I press as much water out as possible by weighting it down with pans, cutting boards, etc., so that they're able to get crispy when pan-fried.
Heat non-stick pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add onions when oil is hot. Sauté onions until golden brown and caramelized (about 10+ min.) remove onions, set aside.
Salt and pepper tofu steaks on both sides.
Add other tablespoon of oil to pan. Add tofu and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 8-10 min.)
Add onions back to pan. Add balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and stir.
When all combined add slurry of 1/2 cup broth/water and cornstarch to pan. Stir until thick. Add water to thin out if too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Plate atop a nice pile of mashed taters and a side of veggies...braised kale with garlic in our case.

Serves: 2-3
Next week...the Salisbury steak! ;-)

Italian Lentil Soup

It feels like it's been a hunert years since I've blogged about anything I've had going on in the kitchen! We've just been eating a lot of old favorites so I wouldn't have tax my poor heat addled brain. This is one new recipe I tried a few weeks ago though that was really good. Not sure if you'll be up for lentil soup in the summer, but you can always jack up the A/C and pretend it's oooh so chilly out and say to yourself isn't it nice to be curled up with bowl of hot soup! I sent this recipe to my pop after I made it and he said it was a winner in their house too. Serve it up with a nice crusty loaf of whole grain bread and a salad if you wish. It makes a lot of soup so we're actually eating previously-frozen leftovers tonight.

Italian Lentil Soup:
(Adapted from a Giada DeLaurentis recipe)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with the liquid
1 pound lentils, washed and sorted
10 cups low-salt chicken broth or veggie broth(2 and 1/2 cartons)
1 cup of white wine
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta (I used spelt elbows that I got from CM)
finely grated Parmesan

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, a pinch of salt (you can adjust to taste after you've gotten the broth in) and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and wine and stir. Add the thyme sprigs and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 40-50 minutes. (original recipe called for 30 minutes, but my lentils were not tender by then)

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.