Malva

Reviving the recipe blog after several years dead, in which time I have become a much better cook by pivoting from online to cookbook-based cooking. My phone is getting cluttered with snapshots of recipes and it would be easier to just get back to blogging them than sifting through my phone! But this is an internet recipe and I made this for Three King's Day in 2021 and it was very easy and very pleasing and wholly new, from: https://www.food.com/recipe/malva-pudding-south-african-baked-dessert-118545

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

3/4 C or 180 g white sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp apricot jam

1 C or 150 g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda (maybe do half and half baking soda baking powder?)

1/2 tsp salt

1 generous Tbsp butter

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/3 C milk

For the sauce:

3/4 C fresh cream

7 Tbsp butter

1/2 - 2/3 C sugar

1/3 C hot water

2 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius. 
• Grease an oven dish. I used a 7 x 7 x 1 1/2 inch Pyrex dish. (18 x 18 x 4 1/2 cm)
• Beat or whip the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until thick and lemon coloured, then add the jelly (jam) and mix through.
• Melt the butter (don't boil) and add the butter and vinegar to the wet mixture.
• Sieve, or simply mix together: the flour, soda and salt.
• Add this mixture with the milk to the egg mixture in the processor or mixing bowl. Beat well.
• Pour into an oven-proof dish and bake until pudding is brown and well-risen -- depending on your oven and oven dish this will be between 30 - 45 minutes. (Mine was done in 30 minutes this time).
• In a pot, melt together the ingredients for the sauce, and stir well.
• Pour it over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven.
• Leave to stand awhile before serving. Serve warm. Because it's rich it does not really need enhancement (agree), but if you want, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

The irony of the title of this blog is that I don't really try out new vegetable recipes all that often anymore. That's because somehow vegetable recipes don't really come across as appetizing enough to bookmark and save as often as say, scone recipes. But that was the original intent of this blog... to learn how to cook vegetables in appetizing ways. The realization of this disconnect sent me searching the other day, with little success, but I did find this recipe which sounded easy and promising so I tried it out. The net decision was that asparagus is one of those things that really is best when just cooked simply, but I liked the idea of roasting it instead of trying to cook it in a pan (honestly who has a frying pan large enough to easily cook asparagus evenly?) If I do this again, I'll omit the garlic and just use the balsamic vinegar.

From my new favorite cooking blog, a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2010/02/balsamic-roasted-asparagus.html

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Toss the asparagus with the vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

3. Roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the asparagus, mine could have baked for only 10 minutes), turning halfway through, until tender-crisp.

Yield: Serves 4.

Walnut Oil Dressing

Remember how I have all that walnut oil from the acorn squash? Well it is time to start using it elsewhere. Like in this salad dressing which we had over a salad of spinach, honeycrisp apples, red pears, chopped red pepper, and candied walnuts. Quite delicious.

From Epicurious, although we only made the dressing:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pear-Arugula-and-Endive-Salad-with-Candied-Walnuts-104472

Ingredients:

2 T. Sherry wine vinegar (we used balsamic vinegar)

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

6 T. walnut oil or olive oil

6 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.

2. Add walnut oil and extra-virgin olive oil; whisk until well blended. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: Can be made 1 day ahead.

Greek Panzanella

The vegetables in this were delicious and I think would have been even better with a little onion (which I didn't have.) It felt good to eat on a cool summer night outdoors with some friends and is really very easy to make, just lots of chopping. The feta cheese could easily be replaced with goat or some other crumbly cheese, but is a great addition as is. A little untraditional for Americans but for me, almost any salad without lettuce is genius.

From Smells Like Home by way of Annie:

http://annies-eats.net/2010/08/12/greek-panzanella/

Ingredients:

For the salad:

2 T. olive oil

6 C. French bread cubes (1 inch)

Kosher salt

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced ¼-inch thick

1 red bell pepper, large diced

1 yellow bell pepper, large diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

½ red onion, sliced thin

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

2.5 oz. can sliced black olives, drained (I omitted these)

For the vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1¼ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ C. red wine or balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. To prepare the salad, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over medium-low heat, tossing frequently, for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the heat.

2. Combine the cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onion in a large bowl.

3. To make the vinaigrette, combine the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil to create an emulsion.

4. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives, and bread cubes. Mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavors blend before serving. Best if served fresh but will store one day in the fridge.

Baby Salad Greens With Sweet Potato Croutons and Stilton

I made this salad-- with my own personal revisions-- for A.'s baptismal lunch in Syracuse. I was a little bit intimidated by the salad assignment, given picnic attendee S.O.'s salad expertise, so I thought I'd better look around for something a little bit different and promising. I found this recipe in a salad slide show on the NYTimes (where else) and thought the idea of the potato croutons with the Stilton was intriguing. I'd never had sweet potato "croutons" before, but have long been a fan of Stilton and so the recipe had the elements of both challenge and familiarity. I don't have a steamer, and so I had to "steam" the potato in the microwave and then saute them, so they ended up both a little wetter and a little more burned than was ideal, but it didn't seem to deter anyone too much.

I doubled this recipe, and added to it 1 cup of candied pecans, which I used making the candied nuts recipe found in the April 2011 section of this blog. I made the recipe as originally written, using syrup instead of honey and found the nuts to be much less sticky. I also added about 2 cups of fresh blueberries to the salad, so all-in-all it was really a sweet-potato-blueberry-candied-pecan-stilton salad but it was, truthfully, so delicious and worth the extra effort of both the nuts and the sweet potato cooking. I'm tempted even to just candy a whole bunch of nuts and keep them around for the purpose of carelessly tossing into salads on a whim at any time.

Ms. Shulman says of her recipe, "Sweet potatoes contrast beautifully here with the pungent Stilton. Other cheeses that work for this salad are goat cheese and feta." Amen. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/health/nutrition/18recipehealth.html

Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large sweet potato (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 6-oz. bag baby salad greens

1 T. chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, chervil, chives (I used chives)

2 oz. Stilton or blue cheese, crumbled or cut into small pieces (about 1/2 cup) (I used the cranberry Stilton, but I really wanted to use the apricot Stilton, both would be good!)

(Blueberries and candied nuts!-- for the RMR version)

For the dressing:

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C. buttermilk

Directions:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes for 5 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

2. In a medium, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, shaking the pan and moving the pieces around often, until evenly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.

3. Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt pepper, olive oil and buttermilk.

4. Place the salad greens in a salad bowl and top with the cheese. Toss with the dressing. Sprinkle on the sweet potato croutons and serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Advance preparation: You can steam the sweet potatoes and make the dressing several hours ahead.

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad

I made this salad for a picnic lunch in Syracuse celebrating A.'s baptism, and while I thought it was actually really good, this poor salad got a little upstaged by the other salad I made for the occasion. I think I'm actually more likely to make this salad again, if only because it is slightly less work (even with roasting the peppers) and less expensive than the other salad. Maybe I loved it so much because I recently discovered melted goat cheese and it has changed my whole life, but my guess is that any time I came across this salad I would be happy to eat it. Lettuce and all. Although, personally, given my lettuce-hating ways, I think I would be even happier replacing the lettuce with slices of cucumber and possibly chunks of celery next time but keeping everything else the same.

Note: I doubled this recipe, using six large red bell peppers and five tomatoes-on-the-vine and doubling the rest according to the recipe.

From my fav, the Recipes For Health series by Ms. Shulman of the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/health/nutrition/23recipehealth.html

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

1 T. sherry vinegar (I used orange juice)

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

1 1/2 lbs. red or red and yellow peppers, roasted (I used three peppers, did not weigh them)

1 T. slivered fresh basil

1 lbs. fresh ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges

1 head of leaf lettuce or romaine

2 oz. goat cheese crumbled (optional)

Directions:

--To roast the peppers, line a baking sheet with tin foil. Place the peppers on the sheet and bake at 425F for 30-40 minutes, turning peppers every ten minutes until the skins are soft and browned. Remove peppers from sheet, place in a bowl and cover the bowl with a lid or plate and let the peppers sit for 30 minutes to cool. Holding peppers over the bowl, carefully remove the skins and cut the peppers into strips or chunks. If you are storing the peppers for more than 24 hours before using, toss them with a little bit of olive oil to help them stay fresh.

1. To make the dressing, mix together the sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cut the roasted peppers into 1/2-inch wide strips. Toss with two tablespoons of the dressing. Add half the basil, and toss again.

3. Remove and discard the tough outer leaves from the lettuce. Wash and dry the tender leaves and tear into bite-size pieces. Toss with the tomatoes and remaining dressing and basil. Line a platter or a wide bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes. Top with the peppers. Sprinkle on the goat cheese, if using. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: The roasted peppers will keep for about five days in the refrigerator, and for a week if you toss them with the dressing.

Tomato-Watermelon Salad with Feta and Toasted Almonds

See link below. I made this for Mormon med school dinner. I added in some plums and pears, which I really loved in the salad, used grape tomatoes cut in half, and substituted balsamic for the red wine vinegar. I also omitted the arugula with no regrets. I venture to say that this was probably much, much better without it. Fabulous, but very watery so it is best eaten all in one sitting!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups 1 1/4-inch chunks seedless watermelon (about 6 pounds)
• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom) in assorted colors, cored, cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks (about 6 cups)
• 1 teaspoon (or more) fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as dill, basil, and mint)

• 6 cups fresh arugula leaves or small watercress sprigs
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Directions:

1) Combine melon and tomatoes in large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.

2) Toss arugula in medium bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Divide arugula among plates. Top with melon salad; sprinkle with feta cheese and toasted almonds and serve.

I tossed the watermelon with regular salt and placed it in a colander for some time while I cut up the plums, tomatoes, etc. I think this helped to reduce a little bit of the extra liquid, but even then it was still a pretty liquidy salad!

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tomato-Watermelon-Salad-with-Feta-and-Toasted-Almonds-235588#ixzz0yavoNMRa

Balsamic and Dijon Glazed Ham With Roasted Pearl Onions

I got bold and decided to bake a ham for a Christmas dinner I hosted yesterday. I had never baked a ham before, let alone any other large piece of meat. Never a roast or even a chicken.

I asked Mom how to bake a ham but she says she always fries her ham. R. had never baked a ham either. So that left me with Epicurious. I searched Epicurious for baked ham recipes by the number of forks and read through them until I found a recipe that looked like maybe it could be tackled by a novice.

I settled on this recipe, originally from Bon Appetit, and was wonderfully delighted by the results. First I give the Epicurious instructions, then what I actually did, and then some final commentary.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pearl onions

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 8- to 10-pound half ham shank, fully cooked, fat trimmed to 1/2-inch thickness

Directions:

1. Cook onions in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes; drain. Trim root ends, leaving base intact. Peel. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine sugar, vinegar, and mustard in bowl for glaze. Transfer onions to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add 2/3 cup glaze, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup water; toss to coat. Cover with foil.

3. Line large roasting pan with foil. Making 1/2-inch-deep slits, score ham with diamond pattern. Place ham in pan and roast 45 minutes. Place onions in oven. Roast ham and onions 25 minutes. Uncover onions. Continue roasting onions and ham 50 minutes.

4. Baste ham with some of glaze. Continue to roast ham and onions until deep brown and glazed, brushing ham with glaze every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer ham to large platter. Transfer onion mixture to bowl. Serve ham, passing onion mixture separately.

What I did:

Following the comments of multiple reviewers of the recipe on Epicurious, I used 2 lbs. of frozen pearl onions instead of fresh ones. I put the ham face side down in a glass casserole pan and poured in about 1/2 cup of apple cider. I covered the dish with foil and baked it at 325F for about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, I mixed up a double recipe of the glaze (vinegar, dijon, brown sugar, salt, and pepper), again in response to the commentary on the original site. After the ham had baked 45 minutes, I pulled it out of the oven and dumped the 2 lbs of onions (I did not thaw them first) around the ham in the pan and then I poured the sauce all over everything. This totally filled up my pan. I cut up a half stick of butter and put it in dabs on top of the ham and onions.

Then I put everything back in the oven, covered with foil, for another two-ish hours. At some point, my roommate noticed the pan was overflowing, removed about half the sauce, basted the ham, and put it back in the oven. When it was done cooking, I pulled it out and sliced it. The meat was delicious and tender and the onions had a perfect sweet-sour carmelized flavor.

Notes:

Doubling the sauce recipe was problematic, since I just ended up removing the sauce anyway. I can see why you might want to double it if you cook the onions separately as the recipe suggests, but if you cook it all in one glass pan I think just one recipes worth would be adequate.

I liked the sweetness the apple cider flavor gave to the ham. I might want the onions crispier if I cooked them again in the future, but I don't know if that's possible when trying to cook them in a pan where you want to create a tender ham. I'm not sure if the butter is really necessary.

Lots of juice left over. I saved some just in case B. comes to town and needs some sauce to cook chicken in. Turns out sauce is necessary for cooking chicken.

I would definitely make this recipe again because it was so easy and because everyone loved the result. It was a big hit especially among the male guests. But I'm open to learning other/better ways of baking a ham too, since I think the flavoring pulled off the success of this ham, not necessarily my technique.