I decided to make the duck sausage with lentils tonight. I also made a simple fresh spinach salad and some melitzanasalata to serve alongside the sausages and lentils.

The lentil recipe is one of my very favorites. I use it all the time. Here is my quick adaptation of Anne Willan's recipe in her gorgeous and wonderful The Country Cooking of France: Sort through 1-1/2 cups green french lentils (the beautiful little greenish-bluish speckely ones) and add them to a small stockpot. Also add to the pot 1/2 a large yellow onion, cut in half and studded with two whole cloves, two large smashed garlic cloves, the top leafy bit of a celery stalk, a bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover all generously with water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile mince a couple of shallots. Measure roughly 1/4 red wine vinegar into a small bowl, add a couple of teaspoons of dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and the shallots. Slowly whisk 1/3 cup hazelnut or walnut oil into the vinegar/shallot/mustard mix. This is your dressing. When the lentils are done, drain them and remove the bay leaf, onion, garlic, celery sprig, and thyme branches. Dress the lentils. Garnish with chopped parsley if you can be bothered. 

Personally, I just stand over the bowl and eat this. Why dirty a plate?

Last night we enjoyed a vegetarian feast. The centerpiece was my take on Deborah Madison's New Potato Gratin with Tomatoes and Olives. I had made a similar dish from the Greens cookbook years ago and have always wanted to try it again. This preparation seems a little less fussy than the original Greens recipe. It is fantastic and relatively simple. We made a grilled summer squash, herb, and feta salad and some wonderful grilled bok choi as sides. 

Potato Gratin with Tomatoes and Olives

--adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

2-1/2 lbs fingerling potatoes (or any small thin-skinned potato)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup olive oil plus some for the bottom of the dish

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 cup olives (whatever you have on hand: nicoise, kalamata, picholine, assorted), pitted and roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 lemon, sliced and halved

1 TBS capers, rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil a gratin dish and preheat the oven to 400F. 

Thinly slice the potatoes and plunge them into boiling, well salted water for approx 4 minutes. Remove the potato slices and rinse them immediately in cold water and set aside. 

Warm 2 TBS of the olive oil in a small skillet over high heat and add the onion slices, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, the crushed fennel, a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Cook until the onions are lightly browned and wilted. Put them in the bottom of the oiled gratin dish.

Cover with foil and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 

Basically, I decided I wasn't up for braving the supermarket, so I had leftovers and pantry staples to work with.  I ended up with a lentil, spinach, and roasted potato salad. I'm happy to say that it turned out to be a "keeper." It was, in fact, all gone before I had a chance to have more than the compulsory "cook's taste." 

Lentil, Spinach, and Roasted Potato Salad

About a dozen small (new or fingerling) roasted potatoes, quartered

1 cup uncooked french green lentils, sorted through and rinsed

1 small yellow onion, cut in 1/4" slices

1-1/2 TBS butter

1/2 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned and torn into bit sized pieces

1 hard-cooked egg, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 lemon

1/4 olive oil

1 TBS red wine vinegar

fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley

salt & pepper

Boil the lentils in water to cover with salt & pepper, a couple of springs of fresh rosemary, and 1/2 a lemon. Cook for about 30 minutes. Drain, remove lemon and rosemary, and set aside. 

Meanwhile, caramelize the onion in the butter with a pinch of salt and a couple of small sprigs of fresh rosemary. When the onion is fairly well caramelized, add the potatoes so they are just heated through. 

Mix the lentils, onion, potatoes, spinach, and egg together. The spinach will wilt a little bit. Add the olive oil, vinegar, chopped fresh herbs along with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well & serve slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Before I get started, I just wanted to note that this is my 100th post! Thanks to all of you who read JustPigs and keep up with what is going on in my kitchen!

A simple pasta salad should be in everyone's repertoire. I made this one the other day when the weather was in the 90s and I couldn't face working over a hot stove for an hour. You can, of course, use any fresh veggies that are in season. This time of year is my favorite for veggies. I used corn (boiled on the cob in salted water for 7 minutes, then cut off the cob), cherry tomatoes, basil, thyme, and scallions. I added a little bit of goat's cheese and tossed everything in olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. Voilà! 

I'm feeling a little like Popeye lately. We're enjoying loads of green veggies from our Two Small Farms csa. All those veggies do make one feel quite healthy and somewhat invincible. We've added favas to one of our favorite leftovers--lamb hash--and had sauteed greens for lunch, we've had soups with kale and, of course, salad, salad, salad. All of it has been terrific. 

With new veggies (and lots of them) one has a good excuse to search the internet and cookbooks for new recipes. I'm *lucky* to have a backlog of recipes I want to try and was excited to use one of them last night.

A week or so ago the cook-tastic Smitten Kitchen posted a recipe for Leek Bread Pudding. Most of you know about my love of bread-y things, so you know I had to try it.  Of course, we had some glorious thin fresh leeks in a recent veggie box. 

The recipe is perfect as it is so I will just direct you Smitten Kitchen. I did make a couple of small changes in my version. I used challah (no brioche at the store that day). I used green shallots from my veggie box instead of chives, as my chives aren't quite ready yet. I cooked the shallots with the leeks. They need a little heat to mellow their flavor. I also used Australian white cheddar instead of gruyere or emmanthal, simply because I forgot to buy the right cheese when I was at the market and I always have the cheddar on hand. It was delightful. Finally, I used a little bit more bread and leek (but not more egg or milk) in order to cook it in an 8"x8" baking dish.

We loved that this bread pudding is not heavy--like the panades we often make in the winter--but still filling. I served it with a chopped salad of romaine, tomato, golden carrots, scallions, and an anchovy vinaigrette. 

Enjoy!

Spring is here!

Isn't it?

The weather is still wonky, but the bounty of spring is upon us. The bounty of spring, in my case, means I have 5 lbs of fava beans in my fridge. Fava beans are new to my culinary repertoire, so I've been scouring the internet and my cookbooks for recipes. 

I found a great recipe for Spring Vegetable Ragout on SF Gate. It calls for green shallots, which I happened to get this week in my veggie box. I rearranged the ingredients a little to accommodate some things I had on hand. I subbed radishes for the turnips that were called for in the original recipe. What I didn't have on hand I picked up at Rainbow Grocery.

I love how fresh, new, and colorful all the vegetables look. 

(download)

Click here to download:

spring-hpFmqnyseGBrpiBCydcx.zip (16.49 MB)

I was worried that a spring vegetable stew would not be enough for Rob. But indeed it was. So you certainly can serve this as an entree without any worries. It would also be lovely as a side dish with salmon or lamb. 

Spring Vegetable Ragout

--adapted from SF Gate

4 generous entree portions or 6-8 side dish portions

4 TBS unsalted butter

1 lb fingerling or new potatoes, cut in half (small) or quartered (larger)

1 bunch (roughly 20) fingerling carrots, topped but not peeled OR 8-10 regular carrots peeled and quartered

4 radishes, halved OR 2-4 young turnips, halved

6 green shallots OR 8 scallions, washed and cut to 2-inch lengths (including green tops)

salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 lb. fresh peas, shelled

1 lb fava beans, shelled (with jackets off, if desired)

1 lb asparagus, trimmed cut into 2-inch pieces

1 tsp chopped fresh mint

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Melt 3 TBS of the butter over medium heat and add potatoes and carrots. Stir to coat the veggies in butter. Turn the heat to medium low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. 

Add the radishes, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add shallots. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. At the end of this time the vegetables should be nearly tender. 

Uncover the pan and turn the heat up to medium. Add white wine and scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Let the wine bubble up for 1 minute or so. Add shelled peas, fava beans, asparagus, and half the chopped fresh herbs. Reduce the heat back to medium-low. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. 

Add remaining butter if you think you need it. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining fresh herbs and serve. 

Have I made pita bread before? I can't actually remember. But I did it (again?) today. Pita bread is so ridiculously easy and so fantastic right out of the oven I don't know why I haven't made it (ever?) more regularly. 

Pita Bread

--adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

 

3-1/2 cups all purpose flour (you can use up to 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour if you wish), plus more for rolling the dough

2 tsp salt

1 pkg (1-1/2 tsp) quick-rise (instant) yeast

1 TBS olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl

1 cup water (you may need a couple of TBS more)

Put the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor. Using the steel blade, mix the dry ingredients for a few seconds until thoroughly combined. With the motor running add the oil and the water and leave the processor on for 30 seconds or so. The dough should come together in a not-too sticky, easy-to-manage ball. If the dough is too dry add water 1 TBS at a time through the feed tube with the motor running. If the dough is, conversely, too wet, add a little bit a flour, also in 1 TBS increments. Remove the dough from the processor and knead for 1 minute.

Oil a medium bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot, covered with a dish towel, for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in bulk. 

Preheat the oven to 500F. 

Punch down the dough and divide into 12 small balls. Flour a board and roll each ball out roughly to a 6-8" circle.

Place the rolled-out dough on sheet pans in one layer (don't stack them or they'll stick together, you should be able to fit about 4 circles of dough per pan.) Bake for 6-10 minutes. Watch closely. The bread will puff up after 3 minutes or so.

After another 3 minutes the dough will begin to turn a bit golden around the edges and at the center. Depending if the dough is on the bottom or middle rack they could be done or they could need a couple more minutes. (Bottom rack cooks faster.)

Tonight we ate our pita bread with a cous-cous salad, some cucumber-yogurt dip and pickled carrots. I think I'll stuff them with some veggies and cheese for lunch tomorrow!

 

With the persistence of cloudy skies and seemingly constant wet pavement, I must again thank the heavens for bright winter citrus. For those with an abundance of lemons to use this winter, this is a great, easy recipe (no more than 30 minutes start to finish) that will start the day with a ray of sunshine. Perfect with a cup of tea.

Lemon Buttermilk Muffins

--adapted from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Makes about 12 muffins

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 TBS honey

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Grated zest of one lemon

Lemon Syrup:

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

3 TBS water

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter muffin tins. 

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk well to evenly distribute ingredients. In a glass or plastic liquid measuring cup measure buttermilk and add honey, eggs, melted butter and lemon zest and beat well with a fork. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix gently with the fork until just combined (will be a little lumpy). 

Fill the muffin tins with the batter. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes or until the top begin to turn golden and a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. 

While the muffins are baking, put the sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for just a minute and then remove from the heat and set aside. 

When the muffins are done and you have pulled them out of the oven poke them gently a few times with the tines of a fork. Line your countertop with a piece of parchment or waxed paper (this just make clean up a little easier). Set the muffin tins on top of the parchment and spoon the the syrup over the muffins. 

The syrup will sink into the holes made with the fork (and will roll off the muffins onto the pan and the parchment). Let the muffins cool for a minute or two in the pans and then turn the muffins out and eat! 

These are best eaten warm, but I don't think you'll have a problem with leftovers. Happy Weekend!!

I love to make scones. They are quick. They are easy. They are fun to make with kids. You can eat them for breakfast or brunch or afternoon tea. Kids and adults both seem to love them. These would be very nice with a little fruit for a weekend breakfast. 

I cut these with a Bonne Maman jam jar, which is the perfect size in my opinion. You can also cut them into wedges. This recipe will make about a dozen Bonne Maman circle-shaped scones.  

Oatmeal-Currant Scones 

--adapted from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 TBS sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1-1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup currants

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375F. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cut butter to the dry ingredients and work it in with your hands or a pastry cutter until it feels like coarse meal. Mix in the oats and currants until well combined. Pour in the buttermilk and mix it all together gently with a fork until you can pull the dough together into a ball with your hands. 

Put a little flour down on the work surface and turn out your dough onto the flour. Kneed the dough 6 or 7 times to pull all the last bits together. Roll the dough into a big ball and press it out into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut in pie shaped wedges or into circles with a lightly floured biscuit cutter or jam jar. Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes. 

Crumble topping (optional)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 TBS Flour

3 TBS rolled oats 

1 TBS butter, melted

Mix together until the butter permeates the dry ingredients. Lightly press onto the tops of the scone just before baking.  

Serve the scones warm with your favorite jam.