The following are observations of a backpacking foodie:
Sometimes….
Chicken comes prepackaged in a flashy vacuum-sealed plastic bag. Milk resembles powdered cocaine. It is OK to eat fish out of a can. Granola + cold river water make for an interesting breakfast. Instant coffee and bagged tea in the morning help to wake up… even if they are served in a soup bowl. Red wine from a carton box promotes bonding. Any food tastes fantastic when you have to carry it on your back for days.
Tea in a soup bowl. Chicken in a bag
The following are observations of a foodie, two weeks after her backpacking adventure:
Always…
Table utensils, china, and napkins are as essential as a well paired bottle of wine. Spinach does make you stronger… but a raspberry vinaigrette turns it into a salad. Cliff bars can only imitate real food. Instant rice should never be elevated to the rank of a side dish. Fresh herbs and spices are not overrated. Food still tastes better when you have to carry it on your back.
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (although the author recommends canola oil)
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Seed mix:
¾ hulled green pumpkin seeds
2 tbs while cumin seeds
3 tbs white sesame seeds
Directions:
Seed mix:
In a medium skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over low heat, shaking constantly, until lightly browned and uniformly popped or puffed. Transfer to a bowl.
In the same skillet, toast the cumin and sesame seeds over low heat, shacking constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned; add to pumpkin seeds; cool.
Store, in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
Salad:
In a large bowl combine the cabbage, cilantro, seed mix, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper; toss well.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.
P.S. If you want to bring it to a potluck, make the mix and dressing in advance, shred the cabbage the night before. Combine right before serving. I have also used other seeds/nuts in this salad (sunflower seeds, almond slivers) and they all tasted great.
Three-Seed Cabbage SaladThree-Seed Cabbage Salad
Wine pairing
This Riesling is a perfect match for the cabbage salad.
It all started a year ago. A pan, a camera, a laptop, a recipe, a couple of locally grown rainbow carrots and a few pieces of fresh chicken.. That is how the first Cucee post, “Sesame Chicken of Our First Date“, was born. My love for cooking, a desire for self expression, and a need to share the beautiful culinary adventures and musings brought cuceesprouts.com to life.
This cute little fictional character, whose story came together one night at a dinner table, has turned my life upside down and taught me things about myself that will stay with me forever. Happy 1st Birthday, Cucee Sprouts!
Jerusalem to Jews, Vatican to Catholics, Meca to Muslims, Chez Pannise restaurant to Cucee.Yep, Chez Pannise, the esteemed restaurant of Alice Waters, is kind of a big deal to me. Long before I ever stepped my foot into this little Berkeley foodie shrine, I had been worshiping its’ recipes the way Hindus worship Vishnu.
And why wouldn’t I? Clean, organic, local food – slow food, real food – showcasing only peak-of-the-season ingredients…
One Chez Pannise recipe that I’ve been dying to share is a recipe of a baked goat cheese salad. This Alice Waters’ creation has become a classic on the menus of many California restaurants. Set over a tangle of frisée, warm tangy rounds of goat cheese pair perfectly with a simple light vinaigrette. Their smooth and creamy melted interior contrasts nicely with the crispy crunchy crust, adding an element of a surprise to each bite.
Mix thyme, black pepper and olive oil in a deep dish, large enough to hold goat cheese rounds in 1 layer.
Cut cheese into disks about 3/4-inch thick, add to the dish.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Turn cheese over and marinate for at least 12 more hours.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Mix bread crumbs with a pinch of sea salt and olive oil.
Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring a few times during baking. Once toasted, let cool and mix in chopped fresh thyme or parsley.
Remove the goat cheese rounds from the oil and let the excess drip off briefly.
Dredge the cheese in the toasted breadcrumb mixture until they’re completely coated. Bake on a cookie sheet or in a gratin dish for 5 to 8 minutes, or until warmed through and soft when you press gently in the center. Don’t over-bake them or they will start drying out.
Remove the pan from oven and use a spatula to lift the cheese rounds.
Toss the frisée with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Evenly divide the salad and the cheese among 4 dinner plates. Serve warm with garlic toasts.
Baked Goat Cheese With Frisée Salad
P.S. The baked goat cheese tastes best when served warm. I always prepare the salad components while the cheese is still in the refrigerator, then toss the greens and vinaigrette together while the cheese cools a bit after baking.
Wine pairing
The tangy flavors in this salad can easily overpower many whites but are well matched by a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. My favorite one is Paul Dolan Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, produced locally in the romantic Sonoma county.
On the breakfast menu is baked oatmeal with fresh berries and almonds – a recipe idea I recently picked up in a new book by Heidi Swanson, one of my favorite food bloggers. The dish is warm and comforty, multidimensionaly textured, and sweetly wholesome… Exactly what the soul craves at 8 am on a rainy weekend morning.
This recipe has actually been a pretty good find for our family. Both my hubby and I really enjoy a creamy bowl of steel-cut oats in the morning (or as a post-workout snack… or a late-night craving-tamer …or even a desert) and greatly value it for all its health benefits. Unfortunately for us, our picky son has never shared our enthusiasm for the grain and has actually been somewhat averse to its goopy texture and flavorless personality. Thanks to Heidi, baked oatmeal is now something he asks for often and sometimes even prefers it over pancakes and waffles.
PS. This recipe is a great base. You can pretty much use any combination of fruit, nuts and sweetener and it will come out delicious! I sometimes layer sliced green apples (instead of bananas) on the bottom of the pan, and add diced apple pieces throughout.
1 1/2 cups huckleberries, blueberries, mixed berries or dry fruit
Baked Oatmeal in the making
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch baking dish.
In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the almonds, the sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, the milk, half of the butter, and the vanilla.
Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 2/3 of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Gently give the baking dish a couple of thwacks on the counter-top to make sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and remaining almonds across the top.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter on top and serve. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar or drizzle with maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter although the baked oatmeal is already pretty sweet!
Baked Oatmeal - a recipe from Super Natural CookingBaked Oatmeal, served with yogurt and honey
Drink Pairing
I almost always pour myself a glass of cold Kefir before I dig into a plate of baked oatmeal. The tartness of the drink nicely balances the sweetness of the dish.
Baked Oatmeal, almost goneBaked Oatmeal - a recipe from Super Natural Cooking
There has been a lot of excitement around the house in the last few weeks: our daughter was getting ready for her role of Molly in a Tom Sawyer theatrical production. Nervous and excited, she has been rehearsing daily and counting days, no, minutes to the big premiere.
On the day of the show she woke up with the roosters, at the crack of dawn. She patiently skipped around the house, sticking her head into our bedroom every minute and a half, checking for any movement.
We spent a whole morning picking out a perfect 19-century costume. Skirt below the knee, lacy fichu with a gorgon ribbon, straw hat, nylons. At 12:30 pm, dressed up, with hair neatly tied back in a ponytail, our little actress was dropped off for the final dress rehearsal. “Daddy, the show is at 4, don’t be late”, she said as she opened the door. “Would not miss it for the WORLD,” my hubby kissed her on the cheek.
With our son at a birthday party and three whole hours to ourselves, we decided to go on a long and beautiful hike. At 1,150 feet elevation and about 1.5 hours into the hike, I checked my Android to find a missed call and a voicemail from the school. My heart practically stopped when I heard, “Moooommy! You forgot to pick me up.”
The rest of the hour was kind of a blur as I only have a vague recollection of how we got back to the car. At 3:30, we pulled into a packed parking lot. Disregarding any proper etiquette, I loudly opened the door in the middle of the Orhcestra performance.
There she was, my baby, sitting in the last row, with one stray lock now hanging down from her once perfect pre-performance pony tail…with a single red carnation in one hand and a melting Hershey bar in the other. She turned her face to me, cheeks pink, big eyes full of sadness and disappointment… “Mommy, you and daddy missed my performance. It was at 1.”
The details of how we got the times confused will forever remain a mystery. We all came home quiet. My son broke the silence when he returned from the party and gave his sister a long warm hug, “I am sorry we missed it!”
Our evening unexpectedly freed up and so we stayed in and played Go. Then the time for dinner came… I was in no mood to cook anything, so we nibbled on the leftovers from last night’s Nicoise salad. Here is a recipe of this We-Missed-Our-Daughters-Performance salad.
PS: This Mediterranean-inspired tuna salad tastes best when served on a plate or as a sandwich spread. In my house, from now on and always, it will be served on a sourdough roll with a hint of a sadness.
PPS: Nicoise salad is a vegan alternative to an old boring tuna salad. Olive oil packed canned tuna is mixed with kalamata olives, red onions, fresh herbs, and vinaigrette to create a rich and flavorful salad.
celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olives, red bell pepper, onion, parsley, artichoke hearts and asparagus. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the lemon juice into the olive oil until it is emulsified/combined. Pour the vinaigrette into the tuna mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
Serve as an appetizer with cubes of feta cheese and a tart Granny Smith apple or pressed between two garlic and oil slicked halves of a french baguette.
Vegan Nicoise salad on a bunVegan Nicoise salad
Wine pairing:
A light red wine may seem like an eccentric choice (most wine experts suggest a Dry Rose) to serve with this salad, but I tried and loved the pairing. A light, round, fruity Clos du Bois Pinot compliments the bold flavors in the salad.
I have been having some major childhood-food cravings over the last few weeks. I don’t know exactly what triggered my culinary nostalgia. Could it be this unusually cold and rainy for this time of year weather? Or perhaps my grandma’s recent passing? Whatever it was, it just felt like I needed something comforting and warm on the table. So, when my mom volunteered to write down a recipe of one of my childhood-favorite soups, I was thrilled
She sent me a recipe of Soup Kharcho via email (her next endeavour – facebook!) The email was in Russian and looked something like this, “Boil some meat, saute all the vegetables, combine all the ingredients, season to taste, simmer until everything looks done.”
Chuckling, yet totally confused about how I was going to publish such imprecise sequence of culinary actions, I immediately called my mom for more detailed instructions. Later that week, my mom and I made this soup together twice to nail down the proportions. I promise you, this final recipe is pretty darn close to the soup that I hold vividly in my memory.
The popularity of this traditional Georgian stew has penetrated all corners of the former Soviet Union and, if you have never tasted Kharcho before, I assure you won’t be disappointed. The combination of smooth and delicate beef broth with neutral rice, tangy lemon juice and spicy seasoning creates the taste and fragrance that are very characteristic of the soup. There are numerous regional variations of the Georgian Soup Kharcho, but I bet all the veggies in my fridge that my mom’s is the tastiest!
Note: Kharcho, like most stews and Eastern European soups, tastes best the next day, once the flavors settle. I like to eat it with or without the fresh herbs (depending on my mood) out of a large bowl, accompanied with warm and toasty garlic bread.
Soup Kharcho
Soup Kharcho (Georgian Beef, Rice and Fresh Herbs soup)
1 cup chopped fresh herbs (green onions, cilantro, basil, parsley and/or dill) to taste
Fresh-squeezed lemon juice to taste
Directions:
In a large soup pot, bring the meat and water to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam as it rises to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the meat is very tender, about 1 ½ hours. Remove the meat and cut into bite-size pieces. Add meat back to the pot.
In the mean time, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and sauté until slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
Blend tomatoes in the blender. Add to the skillet and sauté everything for another 10 minutes.
Add potatoes to pot. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables to pot together with the rice, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add ½ the garlic and simmer for another 35-40 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat. Check the seasonings and adjust if needed. Discard the bay leaves. Add ¼ cup of the fresh herbs (my favorites are cilantro and green onions), ½ the garlic and lemon juice, and let stand for 1-2 hours. Right before serving, add the remaining fresh herbs to each individual bowl.
Soup Kharcho
Wine pairing:
I served Kharcho with a bottle of Grgich Hills Zinfandel 2007 and I loved the pairing of the two. A friend of mine, who tasted my soup, suggested Cabarnet Sauvignon for its less spicy nature. My most favorite Cab right now is a bold and assertive 94 pt Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon 22007 that I get at my local Costco, but you can also pick up a bottle at wine.com
A few weeks ago, we took our kids on their first real and much-deserved family vacation.
Before we had kids, my husband and I traveled a lot! Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Asia… We never expected to slow down, but things don’t always work out as planned.
As you may know from reading my blog, our son has pretty severe food allergies. When we first learned of his health condition, we stayed in denial and resisted changing our travel habits, but a couple of allergy-triggered trips to the ER served us as brutal wake up calls, a reality check so to speak, forcing us to re-evaluate our outlook on life.
Stories of exposure to peanut dust on the airplanes and kids slumber parties at five-star Mexican resorts with whipped egg-white disguised as whipped cream, paralyzed me with fear of taking my son on an airplane or outside of the US.
This year, I mastered enough courage to put an end to my son’s 5-year-long domestic confinement in favor of a beach-style family vacation. So, a few weeks ago, with 5 epipens strategically distributed across our suitcases, we raised ours sails in the direction of Mexican Riviera.
Luckily, the trip went allergy-drama free; all epipens returned home unused. Our kids remained in a continuous state of ecstasy from having their own cabin on the ship, watching TV in bed, jumping in the ocean waves, parasailing, and eating lots of delicious junk food (some of which they had never seen before.)
As soon as we came home, feelings of end-of-vacation nostalgia took over the kids and they demanded that I served them some “ship food.” After some negotiation, we settled on “that yummy pink fishy” that Petar, a “funny” waiter from Serbia who has not seen his parents in 6 months, served them one night.
As it turns out, “that yummy pink fishy” was actually a good old slow-roasted salmon that I’ve made once before but, with all the different cooking experiments that my kids are exposed to in my kitchen lab, they hardly have a chance to remember.
Slow roasting is actually my most favorite way to cook rich and oily fish, such as salmon, for it is the least labor intensive, and quite frankly, the most difficult to mess up. The technique yields the most succulent, silky-smooth, tender, melt-in-your-mouth fish ever! What is the secret? Instead of blasting the fish with high heat for a short period of time, you keep the oven temperature consistently low and gently roast the fish for twice as long.
1 (4 ½-lb) wild king salmon fillet with skin (about 1 ½ inches at thickest point)
Lime wedges for garnish
Directions
Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 224 degrees F
Finely grate ginger into a fine-mesh sieve (I like to use microplanes for that.) Set sieve over a bowl and press on ginger to extract 2 teaspoons juice. Transfer ginger juice to a 3- 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, add soy sauce, wine, mirin, and brown sugar, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until glaze is syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, 45-55 minutes.
Transfer glaze to a metal bowl and quick-chill, by setting bowl in ice water and stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Transfer ½ cup glaze to a small bowl and reserve for brushing after roasting.
Line a 17-by-12-inch heavy baking sheet with foil and coat foil with oil.
Place salmon, skin side down, diagonally in pan. Spoon about 2 tablespoons remaining glaze over salmon, spreading it evenly with back of spoon. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread another 2 tablespoons glaze over salmon.
Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and glaze again (use a clean spoon each time to avoid cross-contamination), then roast for 10 minutes more. Repeat glazing and continue to roast until fish is just cooked through (opaque), 10 to 20 minutes more (35 to 45 minutes total, depending on thickness of fish; check frequently after 35 minutes).
With two wide metal spatulas, transfer salmon to a platter and coat with a final layer of reserved glaze (about 2 tablespoons), using a clean spoon. Serve with lime wedges and with remaining glaze on the side if desired.
Slow-roasted salmon with sesame seeds, in honey and soy sauce reduction
Note
The glaze can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, covered. Bring to room temperature before using.
Wine pairing
I admit that we don’t eat enough meat to justify all the red wine we consume. Can’t help it – we love reds! And, as a result, we always try to find a fitting red to go with any dish at the table. Recently, I purchased 2 bottles of an outstanding Pinot at a private sale online wine shop, called Lot18, and served it with this dish. Hartford Court Lands Edge Pinot Noir 2007‘s dark berry flavors really picked up a note of smoky character that complemented the sweet and salty glaze. Hartford Court is a medium bodied wine and meshed, rather than clashed, with the flavors in the salmon.
Sometimes I feel that I must have been Mexican in a previous life (but then again, I also say the same thing about other ethnicities, whenever I can’t get enough of their food).
I admit it, I love Mexican food. To me, Mexican cuisine is so multi-dimensional, flavorful and comforting that it is always on the top of my cooking (or eating out) list.
Happy Cinco De Mayo and here are a couple of Mexican-expired recipes that I previously posted on my blog:
Blueberry Surprise Salad with Pepitas and Freeze-Dried blueberries
Every member in my family takes a great pride in being good at something.
My daughter is really good at reading clouds, ignoring her brother’s orders, spilling milk all over her new dress, reading books in the doorways, matching outfits, and conjugating verbs.
My son is very natural at making friends… and making funny faces in a mirror. He is also exceptionally skilled at chasing shadows, kicking pool water into people’s faces, sucking on his fingers, eating goggles, spinning around in circles, riding on a friend’s back, and multiplying 3 by 2.
My husband’s talents include taking wall-worthy pictures of me, free-style lap swimming, cracking jokes, making spooky-looking smoothies, moving hips to the beat, and imitating accents.
And me? I am an expert at day-dreaming, doing round kicks, blogging silly details about my family, making cards, and watching Iron Chef to the music of Katy Perry while running on an elliptical and writing blog posts – all at the same time.
I am also pretty darn good at designing salads.
My salad making skills have been polished to a high gloss. To become an expert in any craft (including cooking,) it takes continues practice. And do I practice!!!! To put it in perspective, I concoct at least 10 different salads each week.
For me, the secret of a good salad is always in the toppings: everything else serves as a foundation…. a base… a prelude… Whether it is a route vegetable, a leafy green, or a summer fruit salad, it is the layering of textures and flavors that bring the salad together.
Here is a recipe of a simple weekday salad that only takes 5 minutes to put together and pairs well with pretty much anything, be it broiled salmon, grilled chicken, or even pasta.
In a large bowl, toss together the Arugula, blueberries and pepitas
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, pepper, and liquid aminos (or salt.)
Pour over the salad, and toss to coat. (You may end up with more dressing than you need. Refrigerate the leftovers and use them on salad, chicken or fish.)
Robert Sinskey Vin Gris 2010, a Rose wine from Napa, is notably rich yet fruity and refreshing, making it a great partner to the peppery-mustardy arugula.
More saladsAsparagus zucchini carpaccio salad with Pecorino RomanoMexican salad with Spicy Aioli, Hominy and Forbidden RiceFresh berry salad with Aged Balsamic VinegarSalads
“Mommy is making farmer’s cheese again,” I overheard my 5-year old talking to his sister, just as the sweet nursery-soothing scent of warm milk started to fill the house. “Can we make farmer’s cheese together some day?” he asked, as both of them crowded around the stove, watching me stir the pot.
I never turn down an opportunity to cook with my kids, so this past weekend, I chose to turn cheese-making into a fun science project. Having always made farmer’s cheese with buttermilk, I decided to experiment with other less conventional souring agents.
I set up a test kitchen with 3 pots of organic whole milk and 3 acids: buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon juice. My son was assigned a task of warming the milk and combining it with the souring agents while my daughter took on a role of the main stirrer.
What a fun experiment it was! For all three of us! Heating, stirring, watching the curds and whey separate… Milk’s metamorphic transformation into cheese seemed almost magical.
And so were the resulting cheeses. Fresh and magically unique, each held its own in texture, color and taste. Buttermilk cheese came out familiarly tangy, spongy and soft, while the lemon-juice cheese resulted in a richer and creamier product, tasting fancy and deserty. The version made with vinegar turned out most extraordinary: a little sweet, a little tonic and very irresistible.
The first place was unexpectedly but rightfully taken by the vinegar-based cheese – which came as a complete surprise to everyone in the family.
Farmer's-Cheese-Making Experiment
Homemade Farmer’s Cheese (also known as Tvorog, Ricotta, Queso Blanco, Cottage Cheese, Paneer.)
Place the mixture in a warm place until it develops the consistency of thick yogurt (a kitchen counter or the back burner of a stove work just fine). This will take about 24 hours. In the summer and in very warm homes, this may take only 12 hours
Place the pot containing the milk mixture over very, very low heat for about an hour. Choose the lowest setting on your stove
You can stir the milk if you want to end up with the grainier cheese
After about an hour, the milk will curdle, and the curds and whey will begin to separate
Take the milk off the heat
Let the milk cool for about 30 minutes. Line a large colander with a large piece of cheesecloth or towel paper. Pour the cheese and the whey in the colander
Let the farmer’s cheese drain for a few hours
Farmer’s cheese is done when all the whey has escaped
Vinegar-based Farmer's Cheese, Lemon-juice-based Farmer's Cheese, and Butter-milk-based Farmer's Cheese
Serving Suggestions
I like sneaking Farmer’s Cheese into Yogurt Parfaits, Breakfast Granola, Pancakes, Crepes, Lasagna, and, of course, Mac and Cheese.
