Melissa's Marinara with Meatballs

YUM! David and Alex and I made some pasta last night with meatballs and hot italian sausage and it was delectable.

for the meatballs:
• 1 lb. ground beef ( I used grass-fed from Whole Foods)
• 2 slices white bread (wheat is fine, but nothing nothing crusty- anything pre-sliced in a bag is good- eek!)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
• a handfull of chopped basil
• a handful of breadcrumbs
• about 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper


Soak the bread in the milk until soggy, add everything else, mix with your hands and form into balls. Brown outside in a frying pan before dropping into sauce to cook the rest of the way.

for the sauce:
• as many fresh tomatoes as you can get- any kind. I used Early girls and cherry tomatoes.
• 2 onions, chopped coarsely
• many cloves of garlic
• a handful of chopped basil
• a bay leaf
• a splash of red wine (optional)
• meatballs and sausage (optional)

Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook until golden. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaf. Let cook until tomatoes break apart and it starts to look like a sauce. At any point you can add wine, meatballs, and sausages. make sure they cook through all the way!

Costa Rican Refried Beans

I made refried beans tonight using Salsa Lizano, which is a Costa Rican sauce similar to Worcestershire. If you don't have salsa lizano, you could add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a bit more sugar and it would be similar. Or just skip the Salsa Lizano and it'd probably still be very good.

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup water
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil.
2 tablespoons salsa lizano (costa rican sauce)
1 teaspoon sugar

Open can of black beans, drain out the liquid, rinse thoroughly and drain again. Put beans in cuisinart and add one cup of water. Puree beans and water.

Meanwhile, fry onions and garlic in a saucepan w/ oil, cumin, salt and cilantro. When this is browned and ready, add the bean/water mixture into the pot. Add salsa lizano and sugar, and keep over medium heat. Simmer, stirring regularly, until enough water evaporates. You will be left with delicious pureed black refried beans (technically not refried I guess, since they are only fried once, but whatever.....) They tasted just like the beans that I ate this one time in Costa Rica.

Chayote Soup

I made this soup tonight and it came out great. This was my first time ever cooking a chayote - they are pretty weird when you cut them, but then they turn normal once they are cooked.

• 2 large chayotes, peeled and sliced into 2 inch thick pieces
  
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 potato, peeled and thinly sliced. I used a semi-sweet hybrid potato from Berkeley Bowl.
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Simmer chayote slices and potato slices in 2 cups salted water in a medium saucepan until tender, about 15 minutes. Puree chayote and potato in cuisinart, then add 1 cup of the cooking water and continue blending until smooth.

Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in the butter in a large saucepan until the onion is soft. Pour in the chayote/potato mixture, and add more water until the soup is at desired thickness. At this point, chicken or vegetable broth could be substituted for water - this would make it better than the soup I made.

Season soup w/ salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with a plate of garnishes on the side to put into the soup. Garnish plate should include: chopped cilantro, finely chopped scallion, sliced fresh tomatoes and wedges of lime to squeeze. The soup would probably also be very good cold.

Overall, I was amazed at how easy this was to make (especially cause I semi-invented it) and it was quick and delicious.

DMP

Zucchini-Chard Pancakes and Homemade Buttermilk Ranch

Another exercise in using up whats's in the fridge: 1 huge zucchini/squash (about the size of a baby's head), 1 bunch of chard that's getting older every day, early girl tomates that need to be eaten soon, some buttermilk from the chocolate zucchini cupcakes.

Zucchini-Chard Pancakes
proportions and measurements were improvised, and can be varied to your liking.
1 giant zucchini
1/2 bunch chard
i smal yellow onion
handful of parsley
handful of chives
salt and pepper
3 eggs
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

Grate the zucchini and the onion into a bowl. Chop the chard finely, or throw it in a food processor (I did the latter). Combine with zucchini and onion, and sthrow in the finley chopped parsley and dill. Add eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Mix!

Heat up a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. (I tried butter at first, but that didnt work as well). Cook them like you would cook pancakes.

We ate them with 2 different sauces:
this one, which was delicious and easy:


and Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

• 1/2 buttermilk
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• sea salt, to taste
• ground pepper, to taste

Baked Chicken Tawook

I found a recipe for Shish Tawook and adjusted it to fit my grill-less life. I baked it, and there were a lot of juices left over. I think next time I'll try it in a cast iron.

5 or so boneless chicken breasts (that's what i had- next time i might use thighs)

Marinade:
(all measurements are approximate- I didn't actually measure)
about 1 c yogurt
1/2 c olive oil
1 Tbsp tomato paste
some crushed garlic
2 -3 Tbsp sumac
1-2 Tbsp paprika
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lemon

Let marinate for awhile (mine went for about 2 hours).

Grill, bake, saute, whatever! (i baked mine for about 45 minutes at 375)

Next Day:
I took the leftovers and made chicken salad. I chopped it finely, used a few tablespoons of the juicy marinade that was left, a bit of mayo, salt, pepper, lots of lemon juice, and sumac. yum!

A Good Idea for Leftover Rice

I had a bunch of leftover rice, a whole bunch of cilantro, and a bit of basil. I threw the greens in the blender with some raw garlic, and then stirred it into the rice in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil to warm it up. A pinch of salt and pepper, and voila! Green Rice.

Would probably be really good with spinach or arugula, too. Or broccoli!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes!

I'm SO happy I found this recipe!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups (360 mL) brown sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) melted butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) vegetable oil (hs note: I used unrefined, scented, all-natural coconut oil)
3 eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1/2 cup (120 mL) buttermilk
2 cups (480 mL) grated zucchini
1 cup (240 mL) chocolate chips
2 cups (480 mL) unbleached flour
1 cup (240 mL) cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt
2 tsp (10 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) allspice
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease large muffin pans and line with muffin cups.

In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, butter and oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well Incorporated. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, zucchini and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until well combined. Spoon batter into large muffin pans. Bake in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, while preparing the icing (hs note: I made these without the icing, also - don't overcook them or you will lose all the moist goodness - you want them to look almost done in the oven - they will continue to cook for a few minutes after you pull them from the oven from the residual heat).

Yields 9 large cupcakes or 20 standard cupcakes.

Kee Mao

This recipe is from Britton, who got it from her sister.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh rice noodles (non-fresh rice noodles are okay too)
2-3 T vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, sliced into bite size pieces (can also substitute shrimp or tofu)
10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small hot Thai chili, finely chopped
1 large red onion, sliced (but still pretty large pieces)
1 sweet pepper (red or yellow), sliced in large pieces
equal amounts (about 5 T each) of sugar and fish sauce
fresh basil (two large handfuls)

Directions: Prepare all ingredients to have ready to cook. Heat wok (or very large frying pan) at highest heat. Add oil. When oil begins to smoke, add chilis and garlic. Stir quickly, then add chicken or protein of choice ( though if you are adding shrimp, do this after the onions, since shrimp cooks very quickly). Cook until chicken has half-cooked, then add onions. Stir for 2 mins, then add peppers and sliced rice noodles. Stir everything, and then add fish sauce and sugar in equal proportions (to taste, about 5 tablespoons each, but maybe more or less depending on quantity of meat/noodles). At the very end, add the fresh basil and cook until the basil is wilted. Serve immediately.

Grilled Pork Loin with Red Currant Sauce

I made this dish the other night, but sadly did not take any pictures. I invented it because I was at Berkeley Bowl and I saw red currants so I bought some even though I had no idea what to do. I also bought pork. So I made this, and it came out really good!

1 medium sized pork loin

Marinade - marinate for several hours.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup grapefruit or orange juice (I used grapefruit)
1/8 cup maple syrup
dash of salt
dash of pepper
small handful thyme
small handful rosemary (fresh or dried)
1 onion
2 T olive oil

Red Currant Sauce:

One small package (half pint? pint?) fresh red currants (or substitute another fruit, like blackberry or cranberry)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup white wine
sugar to taste (2-4 T)
1/2 tsp thyme
pinch of salt
2 T butter
1/2 small onion

Directions: Marinate pork for several hours. Then grill pork till it is just slightly pink inside. Meanwhile, in small saucepan heat red currants, wine and finely chopped onion. Heat until it simmers and let some of the wine evaporate. Add sugar, thyme and salt. Turn down heat, continue simmering until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Just before it is done, add butter. Slice the pork into thin pieces and drizzle with currant sauce.

Nectarine Plum Preserves with Ginger and Cardamom

So I had some leftover nectarines and plums. More than I could comfortably eat before they went bad. I made some jam!

Ingredients:
-Several ripe nectarines, plums, and a pluot. (You can use any fruit for this- as long as they'll taste good together!)
-lots of sugar- this is important in making the jam a) taste good and b) get to "jam" consistency
-lemon juice is traditionally added to jam and preserves but I didnt have any lemons so I left it out and it worked just fine.

- All you have to do is chop up the fruit, add a couple cups of sugar, and let it cook for a loooong time- maybe an hour, or two, depending on how much fruit you have. Every time you go and check on the fruit, add a little bit more sugar. Keep on tasting it. you know how jam is supposed to taste, so go to it!

-i wanted to add a little bit of kick, so I broke a few cardamom pods into the pot and grated a bunch of ginger. Do this to taste. Make suer you take the pods out (the seeds can stay) before you jar them.

-If you want to jar the jam, get some mason jars, put them in a pot with enough water to cover them (boil lids and seals also, but make sure they're not ON the jars). Boil for about 5 minutes. be careful when you're done because a) the pot will be very heavy and b) the jars will be very hot! and c) you don't want to get them dirty. Clean your hands and a pair of tongs and take the jars out. Put the jam in the jars, put the seals and lids on, and then put them back into the hot water and boil for another 5 minutes or so. There. The seal should be done. You can store these in the cabinet until you (or the lucky recipient) opens it.

Other flavors that might be really awesome:
-peach-rhubarb
-mango-chili
-strawberry-ginger
-blackberry-vanilla bean?