New Moosewood Basic Cornbread

From Mollie Katzen's The New Moosewood Cookbook.

Fortunately, I was raised on bread made with home ground corn, with a coarser meal. Unfortunately, this means I will never be completely happy with cornbread made from any other ground corn. I find the grind too fine and the bread texture too cakey.

Nevertheless, this recipe produces a cornbread that in the absence of home satisfies the cornbread craving. It's better than most other recipes I've tried, and even better than using store-bought cornmeal in the original family recipe. This cornbread is sweeter than our family recipe, but that can be remedied by omitting the honey or sugar. Today I used buttermilk, which I had left over from the cupcakes.

Ingredients:

butter or margarine, for the pan
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1 egg
3 Tbs. honey
3 Tbs. melted butter or margarine

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square pan (or a 9- or 10- inch cast iron skillet) with butter or margarine.

2) Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the wet ingredients (including sugar or honey) separately. Stir the wet mixture in to the dry, mixing just enough to thoroughly combine. Spread into the prepared pan.

3) Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is firm to the touch. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Mediterranean Squash Stew

The thing that is different from medical school and high school is that in medical school you NEVER get to choose your lab partner. NEVER. EVER. But fortunately I landed some pretty hip kids for "Fun With Food" (organized by the ever-so-enthusiastic M.J.) anyway.

Too much studying this week to cook vegetables on my own, so fortunately this cooking lab came up to fill my vegetable requirement for the week. This recipe from Cooking Together Family Meals, a publication of the Finger Lakes Region and Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University.

The idea is that this can be modified to fit any dietary restrictions imaginable. Vegan. Diabetic. High Cholesterol. Maybe even phenylketonuria. Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups diced butternut squash
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp fat
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
2 cups grain

Directions:

1. Wash and peel squash; cut in half, spoon out seeds, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Wash kale and remove tough stems; roll and slice into shreds or chop finely. Chop onions. Mince garlic.

2. Heat oil in frying pan on mediu. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

3. Stir in squash, tomatoes, lemon juice, brown sugar, mustard, oregano, and salt. Cover pan and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until squash is tender. Add water, as needed.

4. Add rice/grain and kale. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.


We modified as follows:

-- Tripled the garlic
-- Used olive oil for fat (lots of mono unsaturated fats like omega threes, lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol) maybe raises your HDL (good cholesterol))
-- Doubled the mustard
-- Doubled the oregano
-- Doubled the salt
-- Added some pepper
-- Used 1 C. lentils and 1 C. couscous
-- Added finely chopped sweet potatoes
-- Stole Mrs. Dash (2 packets) and hot sauce (2 packets) from cafeteria, added cayenne pepper stolen from Mexican-patient table, and stirred. Soup so much more delicious. Yum yum. Oops, cheated on the assignment, but what good soup!

Seriously, this soup was surprisingly healthy and delicious. Our soup got all eaten up fast. If I ever had... kale? and squash? at the same time?.... I would totally make this soup again. (But with some cumin. Definite lack of cumin. And maybe minus the hot sauce.)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Nothing vegetable about this-- the only cupcake left of two dozen (in two days.)

Craving cupcakes (and needing to bake for the medical school talent show bake sale), I turned to the New York Times (via The Confetti Cakes Cookbook by Elisa Strauss) for this delectable recipe:

Red Velvet Cake

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/141vrex.html

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3½ cups cake flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1½ teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1¼ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2½ teaspoons white vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. Remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment.

2. Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

3. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

4. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

5. Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes (or about 30 minutes for cupcakes). Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting.

Yield: 3 cake layers (or about 30 generous cupcakes.)

and...

Red Velvet Cake Icing

(NYTimes via The Waldorf-Astoria Cookbook by John Doherty with John Harrison)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/142vrex.html

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream, cold

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

12 ounces mascarpone (I used 15 ounces of "Farmer's Cheese" which was soft and came in a tub)

½ teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted.

Directions:

1. Softly whip cream by hand, in electric mixer or in food processor. Cover in bowl and refrigerate.

2. Blend cream cheese and mascarpone in food processor or electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, pulse briefly, and add confectioners’ sugar. Blend well.

3. Transfer cream cheese mixture to bowl; fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until needed.

Yield: Icing for top and sides of 3-layer cake (or bucket loads of cupcakes, piled to overflowing).

(Don't forget the sprinkles. Amazing.)

Maple-Walnut Pie

From The New Moosewood Cookbook. Mollie Katzen says, "Delicious-- and very easy!"

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
3/4 cup real maple syrup (I used 1/2 syrup and 1/4 cup honey)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
Optional: whipped cream, for the top

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 F.

2) Beat together all ingredient, except walnuts and pie crust, until light and frothy.

3) Spread the walnuts into the unbaked crust. Pout in the batter.

4) Bake for 30 minutes or until solid in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

5) Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, with or without whipped cream.

Yield: About 6 servings.


I doubled this recipe and made two pies at once. I used my mom's pie crust recipe (see Apple Pie) and baked the pie crust by itself for 10 minutes at 450 prior to adding the filling and baking the whole pie as directed. This made for a less soggy crust.

I served this pie in two places, both times with Cool Whip. First in PBL, where 2/3 of the people ate it and probably 1/2 liked it. Second at dinner with the missionaries where I also served bacon, avocado, and tomato (BAT) sandwiches on toasted English muffins, macaroni salad, and halved grapefruits. It was better received at dinner, but then missionaries can't really complain.

I wasn't in love with this pie, but I might make it again for a Thanksgiving if I was looking to make a variety different pies, or as an alternative to pecan pie which is richer. It also makes a good winter pie, since it doesn't require any fruit and syrup and nuts can be purchased during any season. The pie is also very easy and very quick relative to other pies, so while it might not win any awards, it might put dessert on the table in a pinch.

Russian Beet Borscht

Another loose adaptation of a recipe from a book, my borscht is hopelessly bright pink and perhaps not like Sokolov's at all. How will we ever know if Sokolov is worth his ego is I never make his recipes straight? Perhaps we will never know. First the borscht recipe from Sokolov, then how I adapted it to suit my moment at hand. Unlike Sokolov, I ate my borscht warm (cold beets = gross), used the beets stalks but not the leaves, and added the flavoring directly.

I served this borscht at Mormon Med Student Dinner, and no one really ate it except T., who lived for a summer in Russia and knows her borscht. I'm stuck with the leftovers, but I'm loving it. Nothing is cheerier for the soul than inhaling bright red beets during Valentine's week in the middle of winter.

SOKOLOV

Ingredients:

2 dozen medium beets with their greens
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Sour Cream
Snipped dill leaves

Directions:

1. Cut off the beet greens and wash thoroughly. Chop into 2-inch lengths. Peel and slice the beets.

2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the beets and greens. Stir in the lemon juice, salt to taste, add the sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the beets are tender but not mushy.

3. Remove the greens and reserve for use as a vegetable. Let the soup cool completely, and then chill.

4. Serve well chilled. Pass the sour cream and dill separately.

Serves 10


ME

Ingredients:

4 large beets with their beet stalks and greens
1 onion, diced
4 green onion stems, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Nutmeg
Mace
Cinnamon
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Cut off the beet greens and discard. Cut off the beet stalks at the base and cut into 2-inch pieces lengthwise. Peel and slice the beets.

2. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot and boil. While waiting to boil, saute 1 diced onion and beet stalks in olive oil.

3. When water is at a boil, add beets, beet stalks, and onions. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the beets are tender but not mushy. Add the green onions and stir in.

4. Pour contents of pot into a blender and blend on high long enough to produce a mostly (but not entirely) pureed soup.

5. Pour blended soup back into pot, add lemon juice, sugar, salt, and generous dashes of the remaining spices. Go easy on the pepper. Add the half and half and immediately stir in to avoid curdling. Stir in sour cream.

6. Serve warm.

Should serve 8-10.

(Like all my vegetables, my borscht has some flavor from the spicing. Sokolov seems to favor a less interesting palette with his vegetables, so if you don't like spices you may want to try Sokolov's version, or mine minus the mace, nutmeg, etc. The cream gives the borscht a feeling of comfort and luxury most likely absent from the traditional Russian borscht, which is a peasant staple.)

Red Fried Rice

I quote from "Spirituality in Patient Care" by Harold Koenig, M.D., Second Edition under the Information on Specific Religions section:

"Mormons eat meat sparingly, but encourage vegetarian foods."

?! Good thing I'm already all over this! Whew. In that spirit, I present another edition of Vegetable Tuesdays, brought to you by your local vegetable-cooking Mormon...

This week's dish was inspired by the Red Fried Rice recipe from The Everyday Chinese Cookbook edited by Linda Doesser. "Inspired" is a loose word here. First I give the recipe as described in the cookbook, and then my own version, using what I had on hand.

Ms. Doesser says of this dish, "This vibrant rice dish owes its appeal as much to the bright colours of the red onion, red pepper and cherry tomatoes as it does to their distinctive flavors."

Ingredients:

115 g/4 oz basmati rice
30 mL/2 Tbsp groundnut oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
225 g/8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
2 eggs, beaten
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the rice several times under cold running water. Drain well. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the rice and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onion and red pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 30 seconds without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets.

4. Drain the cooked rice thoroughly, add to the wok and toss it over the heat with the vegetable ad egg mixture for 3 minutes. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2.

My version

Ingredients:

1 C uncooked white rice
4 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large hothouse tomatoes, diced
4 eggs, beaten
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Add 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan with some salt. Bring to a boil, add the rice, put on a lid and turn down the heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until done.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 1 minute without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets for 4-5 additional minutes.

4. Add the cooked rice directly to the frying pan and toss it over the heat with the vegetable and egg mixture for 3 minutes. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4?


I liked this dish, although I can definitely see why having a tastier tomato/oil/onion combination would result in something with a little more pizazz. Still, it was simple, warm, and tasty and remarkably I didn't find myself minding the egg (although I did mind the pepper). I think it's a good way to use the bland tomatoes that are available in the winter in Rochester. I also found it a little too oil-ly tasting, so I think if I made it again I would reduce the oil somewhat, maybe only 3 or 3.5 tablespoons.

Imagine if I made these with tomatoes from my own garden. Then what a Mormon I would be!

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Stolen right off the presses from: http://kt-recipe-box.blogspot.com/

This recipe is also a Melville classic, one we served multiple times at the Melville house. Always a crowd pleaser, this recipe is a little logistically difficult to do for a dinner party because I prefer to allow guests to make their own quesadillas so they can be eaten fresh. People usually make do though and find the effort well worth the warm, spicy quesadilla. I love these.

Today I served these with pepper jack cheese instead of Monterrey, which made for an even spicier quesadilla. I also doubled the red pepper and used medium heat salsa.

The overall meal included these and the pumpkin-leek soup version 2. I also served chips and salsa and put at each setting a small plate with a fresh kiwi and a seckel pear. The pears were a little unripe, but oh, the kiwi! What a revelation! Such a beautiful little luxury in the dead of winter. I think I shall serve fresh kiwi at every dinner party from here on out.

The illustrious K.T. gives these directions for the quesadilla:

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10-15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter, divided
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas (GLUTEN-FREE: use corn tortillas)
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

2. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle evenly with cheese, then top with some of the bean mixture. Fold in half, cook until golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Makes 8 "half" quesadillas. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.