What's cooking? part 4

I've made lots of stuff recently, but this salad is the prettiest. Three kinds of beets julienned, spinach salad w/ apple mint and sage flower garnish, toasted pine nuts, orange vinaigrette.
SUMMER IS HERE Y'ALL

(not the best picture, i'll admit, but i was hungry)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/7331996004_b3c7d16782_z.jpg

Lunch is about to happen -- a toasted bagel/cream cheese/homemade gravlax with tomato, onion, capers, fresh dill from the garden.

Last night, with few meats in the freezer to choose from, I made a sausage, chickpea, lentil, spinach, red pepper and tomato sauce casserole. It's AMAZING! I am feeling rather proud of myself. Cumin, curry, garlic, onion powder.. a little cheese very browned on top.. good times.

barely cooking, but ceviche.

Amanda, that salad is beautiful

Any y'all got experience making vichyssoise? I'm reading equal amounts of things saying "use stock!" and "use water, not stock!" and I'm just stumped.

My only experience is that I my attempt to make a potato soup in the vitamix was an absolute disaster, unless I were planning to hang wallpaper with the stuff.

Use stock!

Yeah vicyssoise or any potato based soup would be dreadfully bland with just water, I'm sure.

My dad always made fish stock for vichyssoise

arabian lamb and tomato soup w/ garlic and mint. i'm adding saffron and some cannellini beans, and lamb was way, way too expensive so looks like i subbed a beef brisket flat cuz idk wasn't sure what else might do

Amanda, that salad is beautiful

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 5, 2012 8:18 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
otm

I made the blackeyed pea hummus that I mentioned in another thread -- really good! The lemon, garlic, tahini and cumin hit the familiar top notes, but the back end is definitely peas, which I like 1000x more than garbanzos.

recipe?

seconded!

gf has been eating hummus left and right the past few weeks, bet she'd like that

I ate edamame hummus on the weekend, but it didn't really taste much different to chickpea hummus imo...*shrug*

I used frozen peas out of last year's gardening, but canned would be okay. Simmered them for a while until they were just barely done (in Mississippi home-cooking terms -- 20-25 minutes).

Once I got the peas and garlic in the food processor, the rest of the way I just freestyled it:

3 cups of peas, 4 cloves garlic, zest + juice of 2 lemons, a handful of fresh parsley rough-chopped (incl stems), salt + pepper, approx 2 tablespoons of tahini, generous teaspoon of ground cumin (might have been 2 teaspoons in all), a little of the pea-cooking liquid. Started whizzing the food processor, added approx 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, then added more pea-cooking water until it was the consistency I wanted. Adjust S&P as needed.

It turned out a lot fluffier than garbanzo hummus, no chalkiness.

Ugh, peas taste like dirty feet.

Who wants to dip their pita in dirty feet goop???

:-(

I had a craving for beets the other day and thought of LL

wmc I would totally dip my pita in yr hummus :D

NOT A EUPHEMISM
just so we're clear

We're clear!

Anyway if you got too close I'd just light a scented candle.

:P

Heeeeeeeey
Eat beets every day

i made a salad of

pearl couscous
beluga lentils
pickled red onion
green pepper
cumin
chipotle chili powder

with a dressing of

avocado
lime
basil
white vinegar
honey
garlic

served on a bed of baby spinach and avocado slices and oven roasted tomatoes

SO GOOD

oh man that sounds like the best salad

La Lechera, was that a Nate Dogg homage?

you have to ask?

No, but I feel it needed attention and commendation

:)
words to live by

xps it was really tasty! and it was my first time cooking/eating black beluga lentils AND jalapeno pepper!! the original recipe i adapted it from used quinoa instead of couscous and cilantro instead of basil.

that sounds like a mighty tasty salad, i would agree
good job!

I'm so hung over and tired I read "beluga lentils" as "bela lugosis" o_0

ooh justine how was the jpno?

I find they're not as hot as everyone pretends they are.

Not bad! The recipe called for a whole one, I only used half and also doubled the vinaigrette ingredients, it was def hot but totally edible. I really want to get better at eating spicy food bc I hate being such a baby about it.

P.s. I love pearl couscous, it's my new favorite food

Pearl couscous is such a delight. I just wish it was an actual grain ;_;

you can get a wholegrain version

(it is good)

Turning a quart of already-thick yogurt into labneh (yogurt cheese). Should I blend in fresh herbs, y/n?

y

ok, I have these out in the garden:

rosemary
oregano
spearmint
peppermint
dill
sage
parsley
chives
basil

also have lemons and garlic in the house. I'm thinking about dill + lemon zest in half, something else in the rest.

spearmint, oregano, parsley in the rest imo

i get mixed up with giant cous couses but the wholegrain one is great, yes. also in the US it's sometimes sold as Israeli Cous Cous & in the UK it's Palestinian Cous Cous.

"Ten Tips to Cook Well" from El Yucateco

in the UK it's Palestinian Cous Cous.

i have never seen it called that here!

Have we talked abt chicken stock recently? Carcass (and maybe other butcher-provided parts--recommendations?), onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and parsnip. Any other must-adds?

necks and wing tips are good - they provide a lot of gelatin. I usually do a mix of roasted carcass and a few non-roasted parts. Leave the skin on.

this pwns http://www.10thkitchen.com/2011/11/raw-kale-salad-with-lemon-and-pecorino/
i ate it with grilled cheese too. i skipped breadcrumbs and used pre-grated (but real) parmesan because i had it to make shells and had to use it up. it still worked!