There are so many bad places I could go with the title of this post, but I will leave that to your imagination. A little over a year ago, I posted a recipe for a rustic tomato sauce. Crappy photography aside, it’s a lovely sauce, but I wanted to play around with the recipe to come up with something more sophisticated. Tomatoes are at the end of the season here in Chicago, and I’m getting anxious about going without through the winter. Tomato sauce seems like the perfect way for me to preserve what’s left and insure that my cravings will be satisfied at least a few months into the winter.

The new recipe is very similar to the old one, except I add some fresh basil, a tiny bit of sugar and some saffron. I got the idea for saffron from a scene in the movie “Bandits”. I friggin’ love that goofy movie. It’s the scene when Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis have “kidnapped” an entire family the night before they plan to rob the bank the dad manages, and they are all sitting around the table eating dinner. Bruce Willis’ daughter, playing one of the kids, proceeds to belch the alphabet while the mother sobs uncontrollably into her pasta. Billy Bob Thornton is pestering her for the recipe, because there is a spice he just can’t place, and she sobs out “saffron”, much to his delight. It’s actually one of the best scenes in the movie and I die laughing every time I see it.

The only other major difference from my old recipe is that this one goes into the blender for a few seconds. I have a feeling a smoother sauce will freeze more successfully, versus big chunks. I’ll know for sure in a month or two, when I can no longer keep myself from gobbling it up.

Sexy and Easy Tomato Sauce

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you end up with a huge tomato harvest.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup basil, shredded
1/4 teaspoon sugar
a few pinches of saffron

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Peel and chop the onion and add to the sauce pan. Cook the onions for a few minutes until they soften.
2. Meanwhile, rinse the tomatoes and halve across the equator. Dig out the seeds with your fingers and discard them, then roughly chop the tomatoes.
3. Mince the garlic. Add it to the softened onions and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and the salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover it, and let it bubble for a good 30 minutes.
5. To shred the basil, stack several whole leaves on top of one another, then roll them up length-wise into a cigar shape. Slice through the cigar to create long slivers of basil.
6. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the sugar, shredded basil and saffron to the sauce. Stir to combine and let it bubble a few more minutes.
7. Let the sauce cool for 10 minutes before you put it in the blender. I think it’s a little dangerous to blend really hot liquids. Once cooled, process the sauce in the blender for a few seconds until it looks uniform.
8. Serve immediately over pasta, or put it into a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

It belongs in a frame on a museum wall, don't you think?

I could wax poetic all day about the heirloom tomato, but instead I will give you a “hardly recipe” for a salad I made up the other night. It began as an inspiration from the sweet and mild sungold variety. I wanted to set off the sweetness with something smoky, and luck would have it that I purchased some smoked mozzarella string cheese from a local cheesemaker. I sliced up the cheese into coins and tossed them into a bowl full of halved sungolds. The smokiness I craved was still not intense enough, so I sprinkled on some hickory salt from The Spice House. When I took a bite my tastebuds hummed with pleasure, and the whole thing took me about 10 minutes to throw together.

The next time I made the salad, I used four kinds of heirloom cherry tomato instead of just sungolds. The results were equally pleasing to the palate, but even more so to the eye. It’s so darn pretty I hardly want to eat it…okay, not really, but it is a colorful dish. If you can’t find smoked mozzarella or hickory salt just use plain. It’s worth the effort to seek out a smoked cheese at least. You don’t need to get string cheese either. Shaved slices of mozzarella would work as well. I just like how the coin slices look in the final dish. In a few weeks time I will find myself staring longingly at these photos, you can count on that.

Smoky and Sweet Tomato Salad

Serves 6
Prep time: 10 minutes

2 lbs heirloom cherry tomatoes
4-5 ounces smoked mozzarella string cheese, or block cheese
1/2 teaspoon hickory salt or other smoked salt
6 cups of any kind of lettuce

1. Rinse the tomatoes and remove any stems. Cut each one in half and place in a large bowl.
2. Slice the string cheese into thin coins. If you are not using string cheese, slice the block cheese into thin slivers. Add to the tomatoes.
3. Sprinkle the tomato mixture with hickory salt and toss to combine.
4. Place a cup of lettuce on a plate and top with the tomato salad. Serve at room temperature for the best flavor.

This recipe was inspired by the lovely haricot verts, or French green beans, that showed up at the market a few weeks ago. Haricot verts are more tender than regular green beans and are perfectly suited for summer salads. Over the past few weeks I have been tweaking the flavors in this dish, which is based on a a recipe from Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express. I gotta gush about this cookbook for a second. The recipes aren’t really recipes, more like paragraphs that loosely describe the amounts of ingredients and steps in a dish. It’s the way I cook in real life, and many of the recipes in Kitchen Express have served as inspiration points for me. I also love that it’s divided up by season, too.

So back to the dish. I never have trouble getting my boyfriend to eat his veggies, but if he was a pickier eater I think he’d still wolf down these green beans. There isn’t a ton of bacon in the recipe, just enough to satisfy a craving for something a little sinful. I also made this with regular green beans and it was just as tasty, though a bit heartier I think. They are a good substitute if you can’t find the delicate French green beans. I love the smokiness imparted by the Black Forest bacon, which also has less fat than regular bacon. If you can’t find it just substitute regular bacon and drain off some of the grease before you saute the onions. You only need a few tablespoons of veggie broth to steam the haricot verts, but again if that’s not something you keep on hand just use water. I did it once and it came out fine. Lastly, I used red quinoa because it was what I had on hand. Though I haven’t tried it yet, I’m sure regular quinoa or even rice would complement the dish nicely. It’s main purpose is to soak up all the tomatoey, bacony goodness from the beans. I have even skipped this step all together and used some crusty French bread to mop up my plate, with satisfying results

Bacon Green Beans with Quinoa

Loosely adapted from Kitchen Express
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 cup quinoa
3 slices Black Forest bacon (or regular bacon), sliced crosswise into slivers
1/2 half medium onion, chopped
1 pint mushrooms, washed, trimmed and sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced thin (I used a purple one, but green pepper works, too)
1 pound haricot verts or regular green beans, washed and stem ends trimmed
2-3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
1 very large or two medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
salt to taste

Prep work: Slice the bacon. Chop the onion. Wash and remove the stems from the mushrooms, then slice the caps. Core the pepper and slice. Rinse the green beans and twist or chop off the stem ends (some people leave these on but I don’t like them). Seed and chop the tomato. Core the jalapeno and remove the seeds, then mince fine.

1. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand covered until ready to use.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once heated, add the sliced bacon and cook a few minutes until the fat is rendered. Add the onions and saute with the bacon a minute or two, until the onions begin to soften.
3. Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing until the mushrooms begin to soften and release their moisture. If the veggies are starting to stick you may need to add a splash of vegetable broth or water here, but just a splash.
4. Add the sliced bell pepper, haricot verts and the broth or water. Raise the heat to medium high and cover the pot. Steam for about 5-7 minutes, or until the green beans are tender but still have a nice bite to them. The last thing you want is mushy beans, so keep an eye on them.
5. Once the beans are steamed, add the tomato and the jalapeno, if using. Stir the veggies a few times to combine and heat the tomatoes through. Salt to taste, which will depend on how salty your bacon is.
6. Spoon some quinoa onto a plate and top with the green bean mixture, making sure to ladle on some of the lovely sauce at the bottom of the pot. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I love the farmers market for many reasons, but the best thing about it is that I get introduced to foods I would never see in the grocery store. For example, the garlic scape. The first time I saw these I thought they looked like a pile of green coat hangers and I had no idea what one would do with them. Scapes are basically the stem from the plant flower. I did some reading up and found that garlic scapes are often used to make pesto, but I wanted to find a different way to play with them. They are firm to the bite and have a mellow green garlic flavor, so I thought they would be the perfect addition to something with a fluffy texture: zucchini frittata.

I don’t know about you guys, but I get slightly overwhelmed when I first get to the farmers market. I run around trying to decide who has the best of what and then I get antsy and start making impulse buys. I usually end up buying too much of something and the frittata is a cooking trick I use to get it all eaten up before it goes bad. It’s stupid easy to prepare, and you can make it fancy or keep it simple. I had some leftover prosciutto and some feta in the fridge so I threw that into the mix. You could also add olives or bacon, or any other cheese you have that needs to be used up. The only rule is to make sure you have enough egg to bind everything together. I find that 5-6 eggs will work for a 9-inch round dish full of goodies.

I like the texture the garlic scapes add to the frittata, but if you can’t find them you could always use green onion. The problem with garlic scapes is that they are only around for a few weeks at the beginning of the season, which in Chicago is June. <procrastination>In fact, by the time I get this post written I’m sure they will have disappeared. Sorry about that.</procrastination> Bookmark this one for next year, or just use green onions.

Ugh! I can never make the first slice look good!

Zucchini and Prosciutto Frittata

Loosely adapted from this recipe
Serves 6
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Unattended time: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

olive oil
1/2 pound green zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 garlic scapes or green onions, ends removed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly chopped dill
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
2 ounces prosciutto, torn into bite-sized pieces
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
no-stick spray
2 ounces feta cheese

Prep work: Chop zucchini, squash, garlic scapes or green onions, dill and parsley. Tear up the prosciutto.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the zucchini, squash, garlic scapes (or green onions), and salt in a large bowl.
2. Heat some olive oil in a very large skillet set over medium heat. Add enough of the zucchini/squash mixture to the skillet to cover the bottom in one layer. You want each piece to have contact with the skillet so it can brown; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining vegetables if necessary.
3. Let the cooked vegetables cool in the bowl about 10 minutes. Pour off any liquid and add the dill, parsley, prosciutto and eggs.
4. Spray a 9 1/2-inch round baking dish with no-stick spray. Pour the vegetable mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with the feta. Bake until set, about 45 minutes.

1. The time when my little brother got scared by a possum on the porch and had my dad shoot it in the balls with a BB gun.
2. The time my sister threw all of her ex-husband’s belongings off the balcony and locked him out of the house.
3. The time when my Nana and great-uncle Lowell were forced to eat rhubarb pie at the Cabot family home when she was a little girl.

So you are probably humming to yourself ♫One of these things is not like the other♫. While the first two stories evoke a certain, ahem, Texas-ness, the story of my grandmother dining with the Boston Brahmins though different in local color still enjoys at least one revival a year. In a nutshell, my great-grandmother, who worked for the Cabots, was invited to an employee lunch at their home. My Nana and great-uncle were under strict orders to eat every bite of every dish they put on their plates, or else. So of course when they saw the lovely pink rhubarb pie they each got a huge slice and dug in, only to be assaulted by a bitter, sour goop that they had to choke down until it was gone, lest the incite my great-grandma’s ire. You should see my Nana’s face when she tells this story, it’s like she’s still trying to swallow it. This story has been told so many times and with such theatrics that it has left an indelible mark on my culinary sensibilities: rhubarb is the most vile thing you could put in a pie crust.

Pretty in Pink

Rhubarb has made several recent appearances at the farmers market and realizing that there must be some redeeming quality to it, I decided to give it a try. Further encouragement arrived in the June Food411 newsletter “Romancing Rhubarb“. While I’m only interested in friendship [giggles nervously], this article is a great intro for those of us who have never cooked with the vegetable before.

The easiest thing you can do with rhubarb is make a compote, which is basically simmering it in sweet liquid until it breaks down to the consistency you desire. Rhubarb is fantastic for compote because it takes about 10-15 minutes to render a chunky compote, and roughly 30 minutes to get a smooth applesauce texture. BTW, check out cookthink.com if you fancy yourself a food nerd. I ♥ it.

The basic recipe for compote is simple enough: chopped rhubarb, water, sugar. I wanted to make it a little more special so added an herb that has been finding its way into many of my dishes lately: tarragon. You have to go easy with the T, man, or it will kick your dishes’ ass. But when done with subtlety it lends a sweet anise flavor that is hard to match with any other herb. Of course you could leave it out of this recipe altogether and it would still be delicious.

You read that correctly, it said “DELICIOUS”. Mixed with some greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey, this rhubarb compote makes an elegant and refreshing dessert perfect for completing a summertime meal. I feel that I have vindicated this vegetable to my family…if only I can undo the years of conditioning and get them to try this recipe.

I’m not sure I understand the difference between pizza and flatbread, except the pizza generally has a sauce (except for mine) and is round. Flatbread, to me, should be rectangular. The debate is pointless to me, as long as it tastes good. I started out this recipe by making the dough a day ahead and storing it in the fridge. I timed myself, it took 7 minutes and 15 seconds to prepare the dough. I then ran an errand while it rose, et voila, convenience for the next evening’s meal.

The choice for toppings was random, centering on the vague idea of a potato flatbread. I picked up a few red potatoes and was on the lookout for leeks, which were nowhere to be found. I guess they are out of season now. I DID run across some lovely radicchio, and thanks to the handy seasonal veggie tool, I knew it was in season. The choice of cheese was also purely coincidental. They had some Gruyère out for sampling at the Whole Foods and I thought the nuttiness would go well with the bitterness of the radicchio. Gruyère is a mild stinky cheese, but don’t be put off by the stank. Once it melts it’s mellow and adds a nice bit of saltiness.

The results were satisfying and fantastically simple, the perfect comfort food for me. If you aren’t up to preparing your own dough you can buy refrigerated pizza dough. I recommend slicing the potato paper thin so they will cook all the way through. I use a mandolin slicer to do that, but you could use a sharp knife and your mad knife skills and get the same result. Now I seriously need to get to my packing

Non-natural lighting. Meh.

Potato and Radicchio Flatbread

Dough recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4
Total time 2.5 hours, but only 30 minutes is hands on (look at how I justify this behavior here)
Cost per serving $4

For the dough:
3/4 cups white flour
3/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the topping:
2 oz. Gruyère
1/2 head of radicchio (save the other half for a salad)
1 medium red potato
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 glug of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Mix the flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and olive oil, stirring mixture into a ball. You will probably not be able to make it into a homogenous ball, but there’s an easy fix for that. Smitten Kitchen says to dump everything onto a floured surface and let it sit, covered by the empty bowl, for a few minutes. When you come back to it you should be able to incorporate every bit into a ball.
2. Knead the dough a few times: fold it in half, press it with the palms of your hands, turn it a quarter turn, repeat. Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough ball around the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
3. Dump the dough back onto the floured surface and press the air out of it. Make it into a ball again and let it rest covered for another 20 minutes. At this point you can wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
4. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a cookie sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle. Place it on the cookie sheet.
5. Grate the Gruyère on the large holes of a box grater and set aside.
6. Coarsely chop the radicchio and slice the potatoes thin. Place the veggies and the onions in a large bowl and add a nice big glug of olive oil, the salt and some black pepper to taste. Toss the veggies to coat.
7. Pick out the potato slices and layer on the rolled out dough. Dump the radicchio and onion on top, then sprinkle with the cheese.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and let the flatbread rest a minute or two. Cut into squares and enjoy.

I didn’t create a nutrition label for this recipe because, frankly, I couldn’t be bothered to. I’m not as concerned about the minutia of nutrition for the next few days. As long as I don’t resort to fast food, I figure I’m doing all right.

Lately I have been trying to eat mostly seasonal produce. This little seasonal produce tool I found on Real Simple is helping me out. You may have noticed I have been spending a lot of time on Real Simple…what busy gal doesn’t love that site?

In my attempt to eat more seasonally, I am encountering produce that I don’t normally prepare. Leeks fall into that category. I used to think of them as a big ole green onion, but that comparison doesn’t accurately describe their flavor. They are milder than green onions, with an earthy, garlicky flavor.

This recipe combines leeks with another veggie that often confounds me, the radish. I know what you’re thinking: since when is butter healthy? Fear not the sat fat, the recipe only calls for a tablespoon for 4 servings. Check out the nutrition info below if you need further convincing. Definitely use the butter. It may not be a lot but it provides a luxurious flavor. The resulting dish is strikingly pretty, just the thing I need on these dreary and soggy winter days. One last tip, the earthy flavors of the leeks and radishes are brightened by the lemon juice, so don’t forget to add it.

Buttered Leeks and Radishes

Adapted from Real Simple
Serves 4 as a side dish
Total time: about 20 minutes
Cost per serving: $3

1 bunch of radishes, about 12-16 small ones
3 leeks
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
juice of half a lemon

1. Clean and quarter the radishes. Slice the white and light green part of the leeks about 1/4 inch thick. Discard the dark green parts. Chop the parsley.
2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the radishes and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove the radishes from the pan and put in a large bowl.
3. Add the leeks, broth, salt and lemon juice to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. The leeks should be softened.
4. Transfer the leeks to the bowl with the radishes. Add the parsley and toss to combine.

Radishes give this dish a nice bit of vitamin C, which will help you ward off those winter colds. Was I right about the fat content? One tablespoon of butter doesn’t contribute that much sat fat to the dish, and it just tastes so darn good.

I saw this recipe for a butternut squash pizza on Real Simple and knew I could make it real simpler. Instead of using the refrigerated dough the recipe calls for, I turn to my quickie standby for mini pizzas: the pita. This recipe comes together in under 30 minutes with the pita as the crust. If you wanted to use the refrigerated dough or get even fancier and make your own dough, I’m sure the results would be irresistible.

I jazzed up the recipe a bit by using a goat’s milk ricotta with smoked paprika. Oh hell yes. This lovely fresh cheese is made by a local Texas company called Poia. If you can’t find it you can mix a little paprika with some regular ricotta. The smokiness of the paprika works well with the sweet roasted squash, so give it a shot.

Butternut Squash Pita Pizza

Serves 6
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per serving: $3

1 butternut squash, or 1 package of pre-cut if you are feeling REALLY lazy
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 package of 6 whole wheat pita bread
1/2 cup fresh part-skim ricotta
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and cut the squash into bite-sized chunks, about 1/2 inch. Slice the onion into 1/4 inch rings.Put the squash and onion in a bowl, drizzle with the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and toss. Place in a baking dish and roast about 20 minutes. Transfer back to the bowl.
3. Spoon the squash and onion mixture onto the pitas. Mix the ricotta with the paprika (if using) and place little dollops of the ricotta around the pita. Sprinkle with the thyme.
4. Place the pitas back in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the pita starts to brown and the cheese melts.

Was I kidding about the vitamin A? This little pizza is a nutrition boon. I pictured it above with the Tangy Roasted Brussels Sprouts I made the other day. After eating that meal I felt like SuperWoman.

I’m sure every kid ever faced with a helping of Brussels sprouts never imagined that they could, in fact, be made to taste GOOD. I love Brussels sprouts steamed with a little salt and butter, but I can see how they are an acquired taste for many. This recipe is like a subdued yet tangy sauerkraut flecked with pungent little caraway seeds. The scent that wafts from the oven reminds me of a Jewish deli. I’m proud to say that these Brussels sprouts are boyfriend-approved, though I have yet to try them out on any kids. If you get a thumbs up please let me know in the comments. Kids are tough critics when it comes to veggies!

Tips for prepping the Brussels sprouts: Pick small, tightly closed sprouts for the best flavor. I remove the tougher outer leaves and then trim down the stem end. You’ll end up with a more tender end-product that way.

Tangy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Adapted from New Vegetarian Cuisine
Serves 4 as a side dish
Total time: 45 minutes, though 35 minutes are hands-off

24 small Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup raisins
Juice of half a lemon
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (don’t skip, they make the dish)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the sprouts and remove any tough or raggedy outer leaves. Trim the stem ends. Cut each sprout in half and place in a baking dish.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the sprouts in the baking dish and stir around to coat.
3. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and return the dish to the oven to bake for 10 more minutes, or until the sauce reduces and becomes slightly thick.

If you can get your family to eat Brussels sprouts, you should congratulate yourself. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and provide a good dose of vitamin A, calcium, iron and fiber.