Transition Foods

This week, John and I had some meals that I think qualify as transition foods - bridging the gap between summer and fall. For some reason, I took very up-close shots of all of them.

The Eggplant and Mozzerella Orzo Bake from Smitten Kitchen probably does the best job.

It was pretty easy to put together, and extremely flavorful. I would definitely make this again soon. This is the first time John and I have ever made something with orzo in it - what took us so long? It seems like it works especially well in a baked dish like this one. I think I would add mushrooms to this next time around.



Then we made the Lentil Pitas from Kira's blog, Cook Pray Love.

The original recipe calls for you to shape the lentils into balls and fry them, not unlike a falafel. But we kind of ran out of patience and decided to just eat it like a Greek-flavored taco. John also upped the cumin and black pepper, since I think we ended up with a little more than the lentils it calls for. The second night, we cut the pita into strips and baked it, then brushed it with oil, and ate the whole thing more like nachos. Just like the recipe for ancho lentil tacos, this lentil preparation is a tasty way to fill a pita, and super easy. It'd be a great weeknight meal. 


Last and most summery, I made a caprese salad for myself one night when John wasn't home for dinner. I sliced up about four heirloom tomatoes (fairly small ones), along with half a ball of mozzerella, and a bunch of lemon basil and thyme from our plants. I also drizzled it with a little olive oil and balsamic. It was pretty flavorful! And a good way to say good bye to caprese for the summer.

 

Though our tomato plant still has about 7 tomatoes on it that are not quite ready to eat. I hope they ripen up before we get a real frost, since the nights have started to get pretty chilly. I think they may actually become ripe at the same time, in which case, I think a good tomato sauce is what's going to happen. 

And that's all the exciting news from our house this week! Next weekend, our dear friend Jess is getting married, so we're headed to Toronto to celebrate with her. Our second Canadian wedding! Can't wait! 

FARMFood

When we went to Memphis in June, John's mom gave me a cookbook she'd recently bought. It's by Daniel Orr, the chef who owns FARM, a very popular, upscale restaurant in Bloomington that focuses on local ingredients. Though FARM is highly regarded, I somehow have yet to make it there. So I was excited when Julie offered the cookbook to me and John to take home.

 

So far we've made a few of the recipes, and I thought I would share some thoughts here. 

 Let's start with the bad: 

- The layout is strange. For instance: we wanted to make a veggie pizza. The recipe for the dough was on the same page as the toppings, so that works well. But the suggested sauce is a hummus recipe from the "Snacks" section - flip back about 10 pages. To make the hummus, you need a spice blend from the "Spice Blend" section - flip back another 20 or so pages. That much flipping to make a pizza is a little annoying, but I get it - he just wanted to print each recipe once. And he's adamant that you can sub anything you like for the recipes. 

I'll also say that this book is not for beginners. The ingredients can get slightly difficult to find (unless you have Bulk Barn, of course), and they can also be a bit complicated. While we loved the pizza we made, it took a LONG TIME to make, in order to let the dough rise, to make the hummus, to let the dough rise again, to grill the veggies, etc. It's kind involved for pizza. But it was damn tasty.

Speaking of exotic ingredients: one other complaint, and then I'll stop being a Negative Nancy: the chef suggests subbing anything you'd like for any of the recipes, and I believe in the intro he stresses that these recipes should be accessible. Ok, so far so good. But the very first recipe in the book is for Cattail Pollen Muffins. Oh yes, just stroll down to the local pond and pull the pollen out of some cattails! 

It doesn't exactly sound hard, but it's a little specific. And what do you sub for cattail pollen? Honey? Nothing? I have no idea. In fairness, if you do live within reach of pond (and I'd venture that almost everyone in Bloomington does), then this would very simple to make. But I found it a bit off-putting.

The good: 

Generally, I feel like it's an amazing book. The photos are beautiful, it's well written, and there are tons of options for veg people and omnivores alike. We've made some fabulous food with this book, and I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes.

Let's look at some examples.

Here's the hummas recipe we used for the pizza.

This hummus has a TON of ingredients before you even make the spice blend, but we suffered through. It was fun to make hummus with white beans, instead of chick peas, and it's extremely flavorful. Making the spice blend took some time, and truly, we didn't do it right because we don't have a spice grinder (or coffee grinder that's designated for spices). John and I agree that it's not our favorite hummus to eat by itself, like we normally eat it. But it's a good base for the pizza. It also made me want to try making a simpler hummus with white beans, garlic, and rosemary.

Here's the pizza itself: hummas, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini and red peppers, tomato, and kalamata olives.

The dough recipe was excellent and made enough for two nights of this fabulous pizza. It would go perfectly with a spicy red wine, like a Shiraz. I'd say the crust was the tastiest part, and that's how I like my pizza to be. You can get away with a lot if you have a good crust.

Next, we made a much simpler recipe: the BLT. For this, we used tempeh bacon, nicknamed faux-bacon,  "facon," "fakin,' etc. We bought special heirloom tomatoes for this sandwich, since tomatoes are sort of the main event, and then took a bunch of pictures of them, because we're weird.

I love heirloom tomatoes. They're so funky looking, and so flavorful.

Here's the sandwich in its finished form:
grainy bread, tomato, avocado, herbed mayo (we chopped some basil and garlic for the mayo), tempeh bacon (amazing!), basil leaves, lettuce, and goat cheese. This is a life changing sandwich.

Seriously, I would eat this all the time if possible. Tempeh bacon is one of the better faux-meats I've had, and I can't wait to make this again. Heaven!

All in all, we like the FARMFood book, and we'll keep using it. I'm interested in trying some of the brunch recipes, since FARM is known for an outstanding brunch.

Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce

This recipe originally calls for tofu and eggplant. I chose it kind of last minute, since it was a great way to use up the eggplant that Anthony brought over the day of the brunch. John and I decided to just go ahead without the tofu and to add about one and a half cups of sliced mushrooms.





















I'd say that this recipe is really solid. It didn't blow my mind, but it was really good and heats up well as leftovers. And when I consider the cost-to-flavor ratio, I'd say it's pretty amazing.
























Since this is pretty cheap, I think we'll probably make it again, before eggplant disappears for fall. Like Kira says, this has a lot of ingredients, but I make enough Asian-style recipes that I have things like hoisin sauce and sesame oil on hand. It's worth the effort to get them and then continue making recipes that call for them (if you like Asian food, like I do).
(Tofu and) Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce
from Cook, Pray, Love.

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound extra-firm tofu (not silken)
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup water
6-8 garlic cloves, minced–about 2 tbsp.
1-inch peeled fresh ginger, grated
3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tbsp vegetarian hoisin sauce
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp hot chili sauce (like Sriracha) (original recipe calls for 1/2-1 tsp if you prefer it more mild)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
sprinkling of sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch slices and press them lightly between towels to get some of the moisture out. Combine the 3 tbsp. soy sauce with the 2 tbsp. water and 1/2 tsp. sesame oil. Dip each slice of tofu into the mixture and set on a plate.

Heat an oiled, non-stick skillet until hot. Place the tofu slices in the skillet and cook until browned. Turn over and brown the other sides. When the tofu is completely browned on both sides, remove it from the skillet and place it on a cutting board. Cut each slice into 8-10 cubes. Set aside.

Heat an oiled, non-stick wok and add the eggplant and 1/3 cup water. Cover and cook, stirring often, until eggplant begins to brown. Uncover and add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients except the tomato, sesame seeds, and tofu. Simmer uncovered until all the eggplant slices are completely cooked–they will be very soft and start to fall apart. Add the tofu cubes and tomato and cook until heated through. Serve over rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.*

*We forgot the sesame seeds, but added about 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro to the rice. It complimented everything perfectly.