Veggie Burritos

Preparations, originally uploaded by *April*.

You may be wondering if this is strictly a vegetarian recipe site. It's not. Patrick and I were both raised in Texas, where BBQ brisket is ubiquitous. Somewhat reluctantly, I've helped process a deer and make homemade venison sausage. I still swoon at the smell of bacon, which conjures up childhood memories of fresh crisp waffles. As I've gotten older, I've given up meat from time to time. Patrick really is a pescetarian - as he'll occasionally fold (once every few months) for sashimi at our favorite sushi place in Andersonville. I knew he didn't eat meat and when we moved in together. While he was never militant about it, I just never really brought it into the house. It's sort of a pain to cook for one, so I never ate it at home. Over time, the habitual consumption of meat was simply replaced with healthier alternatives in our house.

Many times friends turn up their noses at the idea of a vegetarian meal. I assure you, though, that there are so many vegetarian food options that you'll never really miss the meat. I'm not a big fan of meat analogs (I prefer the real thing or nothing), and have to admit that my health has vastly improved since I've cut meat out of my diet. And, as an added bonus eating meat-free is substantially cheaper and lets me splurge on the things that I truly love like good wine and cheese. I may be able to give up meat completely, but I just can't give up cheese. No offense to my vegan friends. Let's just say it's a good thing I live so close to Wisconsin.

Here's a great recipe for veggie burritos that utilize nopales. Ingredients not pictured: jarred jalapenos (and juice), chipotle tabasco, a can of Meijer's refried beans with lime, shredded colby jack cheese, spices for the guacamole and flour tortillas.

While most people are familliar with the majority of these ingredients, I wanted to include information about the nopale or nopalito - as I know a lot of people pass by them in the produce section because they're afraid of what they will taste like or simply don't know what to do with them. For those of us that don't eat meat nopalitos impart a hearty meaty texture that is usually only a function of a soy derivative. While you can buy the individual prickly pear leaves, it's much easier to just buy the processed, chopped product usually sold in little baggies. My local grocer doesn't carry them - but every Latin grocer I've visited has them freshly in stock.

Here's information from wiki about nopales (often referred to as nopalitos when already processed and cut around here).
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Nopales are a vegetable made from the young stem segments of prickly pear, carefully peeled to remove the spines. They are particularly common in their native Mexico. Farmed nopales are most often of the species Opuntia ficus-indica, although the pads of almost all Opuntia species are edible.

Nopales are generally sold fresh or canned, less often dried to prepare nopalitos. They have a light, slightly tart flavor, and a crisp, mucilaginous texture.

Nopales are commonly used in Mexican cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales (eggs with nopal), or "tacos de nopales". Nopales are also an important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine, and are gaining popularity elsewhere in the United States.

Nopales are very rich in insoluble and especially soluble dietary fiber. They are also rich in vitamins (especially vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, but also riboflavin and vitamin B6) and minerals (especially magnesium, potassium, and manganese, but also iron and copper). Nopales have a high calcium content, but the nutrient is not biologically available because it is present as calcium oxalate, which is neither highly soluble nor easily absorbed through the intestinal wall.

Addition of nopales also reduces the glycemic effect of a mixed meal.

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To make delicious veggie burritos, thinly slice a sweet red pepper and one third of a red onion. Heat a grill pan (a skillet with raised grill embedded) on medium heat and spray lightly with olive oil. Put the pepper and onion over in the pan over medium heat. Add 8 oz. of sliced baby bella mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften and the onions become lightly translucent. Add diced dethorned nopales and cook for 2 minutes or so. Add one diced tomato and a handful of fresh organic spinach. In a separate pan, heat the refried beans. Add a few tablespoons of jarred jalapeno juice to the sizzling vegetables. Drizzle some chipotle tabasco over the vegetables. Smear a tablespoon or two of the heated beans in the middle of a heated flour tortilla. Spoon in some vegetables, a squeeze of lime, some homemade guacamole, sour cream if you'd like it, a sprinkling of shredded cheese, and tuck in the end and roll it up. You'll never notice there's not any meat in these.

Product Plug

This blog was intended to be a "recipe" book for some of my favorite meals and a log of my favorite wines and drinks. Nonetheless, I would be utterly remiss if I didn't direct you to the freezer section of your local Whole Foods (the only national chain that I know who carries this delight) to find the Talenti Roasted Almond Gelato. It's pricey, about $6 for a pint but worth every penny. The undertones of honey and the crisp roasted almonds make this incredibly rich gelato a heavenly treat. Go find it, you won't be sorry. We've had it plain and topped with a homemade Michigan blueberry sauce (so easy - just take a cup of blueberries and heat them until the fruit starts to break apart. Add a few spoons of cane sugar or stevia syrup and continue cooking until thickened. You can even throw everything together in a pyrex dish and use the microwave for about two minutes on full power if you're REALLY in a hurry).

Tip of the Day - Basil Storage

Freshly cut basil is best stored right on your kitchen counter. Put the basil in a glass and fill it with water just until the stems are covered. If you occasionally change and freshen the water, the basil will keep for weeks and may even develop roots. Don't store it in the refrigerator as the leaves will be more apt to wilt and the cellular walls will start to break apart. If you regularly pinch off leaves from the stems, you may even have new leaves sprout.

If you've been remiss in pinching back the flowers on your basil, fret not. You can snip them off, wash them and use them in your salads.

Gulden Draak Ale

Brewed by: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V., Belgium

Style / ABV: Belgian Strong Dark Ale/ 10.50% ABV

A malty, almost cloyingly sweet mahogany brown Triple Ale with a creamy thick head. The Brouwerij Van Steenberge beer has a light hoppy taste but is primarily a pronounced sweet toffee flavor. It's very close in taste to a Barley wine, and thus would probably be best as a dessert or "sipping" wine. The bottle is painted white, to protect the delicate beer from light. It can be aged, much like wine for a number of years.

Holland International Beer Festival - Haarlem 1995: overall winner - best beer.

Silver medal in the International Beer Competition: Chicago 1996.

Silver Medal Dark Ales.at the California Microbrew Beer Festival 1995.

From Global Beer:

On the top of the Belfry of Ghent, one of the proud cities of Flanders, you can find the Gulden Draak or Golden Dragon, a large statue of the famous animal. In all fairy tales, in all cultures, it is always the dragon who defends the treasure. In their belfries, the European cities kept their treasures that included their gold and also documents proving the privileges they received from the monarch.

Legend tells us, it was the Norwegian King Sigrid Magnusson who granted the exotic statue to the emperor of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) during the crusade of 1111 CE. If you look closely at the picture, you can recognize Scandinavian cultural influences. The dragon looks almost like a Viking ship. The beast has no legs, it has wings, a sharp tongue and pointed ears. You clearly see the seams between the armor-pieces.

A century later, during another crusade, is was the Fleming Baldwin IX, who had become the emperor of Constantinople. He liked the animal so much, that he moved the golden statue to his home country. Since he was the emperor, he wasn't really stealing. He brought it back to his hometown Biervliet, a small village north of Ghent. It must be a coincidence or maybe it is providence, but "Biervliet" means "stream of beer'.

A few years later, the guys from the high spirited city of Brugge (Bruges) couldn't stand the fact that a tiny village as Biervliet had such a nice statue. Thus, one cloudy night, they attacked Biervliet and captured the Golden Dragon to take it back home. I guess again, you cannot talk about theft, when you take the prize after winning a battle, can you?

The very, very proud citizens of Ghent, didn't like it at all, that the team from Brugge (which is the 1996 soccer-champion of Belgium, by the way) played in their backyard at night. So, when the time was right and the power balance shifted in their direction, Ghent went to war with Brugge in 1382. Prize: the Golden Dragon. From then until now the statue of the "Gulden Draak" sits on top of the Belfry. Except for the short periods, when the beast has to come down to take a bath, to be reinforced, maintained and to be put some more golden shining armor on.

Tip of the Day - Keep peppers fresh longer

To keep chili, bell or sweet peppers fresh longer - remove the stems before storing in the refrigerator's produce bins. 

Tip of the Day - Stabilizing Bowls and Cutting Boards

A handy trick I learned from my great-grandmother... 

There are few things more irritating than trying to chop items quickly and having your cutting board slipping on the countertop. The solution? Grab a kitchen tea towel and run it under the faucet until it's wet. Wring it out a little so it's still fairly damp. Flip your cutting board over so the "wrong" side is up. Place the tea towel on the cutting board and pat it down a little so it sort of sticks to the cutting board surface. Flip the cutting board back over, so the wet towel is underneath. Your cutting board will now stay put while you're chopping things up. 

This concept also works great underneath mixing bowls when beating items by hand. 

More recipes coming soon, I promise. We've been remodeling our kitchen this week and the best thing I've made in there this week has been reservations for dinner out. I do have newly painted walls and cabinets, new hardware and a sparkly new vintage backsplash. I do not, however, currently have a kitchen floor. We're down to the bare plank subfloor, and since you can see slivers of the basement from the kitchen through the planks, I've been a bit leery to spend too much time in there as of late. 

Tip of the Day - Celery Storage

After harvest, celery still produces and releases ethylene. Ethylene is a gas that causes the vegetable to go limp with time by breaking down the cellular walls and leading to moisture loss. When celery is packed in plastic, it will spoil faster as the ethylene gas is trapped. If you store celery in aluminum foil, however, it will stay crisp for weeks in your refrigerator.

In a pinch, wayward celery can be revived by cutting off about an inch from both ends and submerging the stalks in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes.

Vegetable Soup

Tonight's a soup night..., originally uploaded by *April*

A standard disclaimer - all measurements are approximate, as I never measure while I'm cooking.

Ingredients:

1 white onion, diced
olive oil
1/2 cup Very Hot Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 stalks chopped celery
2 cups of sliced carrots
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 16 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup mixed mushrooms (I use champignon, abalone, shimeji and shiitake)
1 tbsp. rosemary
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
1 tbsp. McCormicks' spicy montreal steak seasoning mix - (salt, black pepper, red pepper, dill seed, coriader seed, garlic, dill, paprika)
2 28 oz. cans of water

Saute diced onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chopped vegetables and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Add canned tomatoes and drained beans. Add mushrooms and spices. Cook over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Serve with rolls with herbed butter.

Apple Pie

There's always one., originally uploaded by *April*.

I can't explain why (sacred geometry? fibonacci sequence?) but apple pie just tastes better when the slices are spiraled inside.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (You can cheat and use premade if you're in a hurry)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (do NOT use margarine. Only butter)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
8 medium apples - peeled, cored and sliced

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DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Melt butter over low/medium heat in a heavy sauce pan. Slowly stir in flour to form a roux. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes. Add vanilla and cinnamon, stir. Do NOT simmer longer than this or you will start making caramel-y type sauce and while the pie will still taste good, it will not be "pretty."

Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, in a swirled pattern - mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. I use a cookie cutter and cut out the crust and gently overlap the shapes. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the top crust. Pour VERY slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

Excellent paired with butter pecan ice cream and a splash of amaretto.

Dueling Sauce Tortellini

Partial ingredients, originally uploaded by *April*.

Ingredients:
Package of fresh tortellini
1 medium white onion
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
olive oil
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. dried rosemary
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
1 roasted red pepper
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup cheese
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp white flour
2 tbsp. butter
Fresh basil

Sauce #1:

Dice 1/2 medium white onion. Saute with 1 tbsp (roughly, I don't measure when I cook) chopped garlic in olive oil until onion is tender and translucent. Add 1 can diced tomatoes (I usually use fresh, but they were a bit iffy looking at the store last night). Saute until tomatoes start to lose their shape a bit, add 1tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 tbsp. rosemary. Add 1 standard size can of tomato sauce (not the little ones) and pour in a cup or so of red wine. Liberally add freshly cracked black pepper. Simmer until consistency is thick.

Sauce # 2 - Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saucepan, add 1/4 chopped white onion. Stir until the onion is translucent. Add flour and make a roux. Quickly stir in cheese (I typically use a romano blend, but you can use literally any kind. This time I improvised with some cream cheese, Havarti and provolone) and milk. Stir constantly until cheese is melted and mixture thickens. Finely chop red pepper and add to sauce, or use an immersion blender for smoother results.

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Separate into servings and top each with a ladle of red sauce on one side and the roasted pepper cheese sauce on the other.

Top with julienned basil.

Tip of the Day - Chocolate curls

To make perfect chocolate curls to adorn drinks and desserts, thoroughly chill the chocolate in the refrigerator or freezer. Use a vegetable peeler on the longest side of the chocolate (so, if you're using a regular bar, turn it so you're peeling down the narrow lengthwise edge). Keep the curls cold until you need them in the refrigerator.

Tip of the Day - Can't find your rolling pin?

While making pastry, if you can't find your rolling pin, or need an extra one - simply fill a straight sided wine bottle with cold water and recork. The cold water will make the pastry easier to roll.

Beet stalks and gorgonzola

Beet stalks and gorgonzola, originally uploaded by *April*.

Take the stalks of one bunch of fresh beets and cut into 1 inch pieces. Saute in a tbsp of olive oil until crisp tender (about 5-7 minutes). While still warm, garnish with a tbsp per person of gorgonzola cheese. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top and serve as a side dish or easy summer lunch.

Watermelon, Kalamata and feta salad

Watermelon, kalamata and feta salad, originally uploaded by *April*.

Ingredients:

4 cups of seedless watermelon, balled or cut into large chunks (a stainless steel coffee scoop works very well for an improvised melon baller)
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and drained
3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 medium red onion very thinly sliced
fresh cracked black pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Mix oil, vinegar, olives and onion. Toss lightly with watermelon and garnish with cracked black pepper. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

While the salad can be made immediately before serving, I found it's best to let the flavors mingle for a few hours prior to serving.

Tip of the Day - How to Keep Cast Iron in Top Shape

I lived with my great-grandmother for most of my teens, and she cooked almost exclusively in a set of well-seasoned cast iron pans. Cast iron cookware cooks evenly without dreaded hot-spots and will last your entire lifetime if you take care of it properly. As an added bonus, it's often inexpensive and can be used for "fat-free" cooking. It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven, it won't warp and clean-up is amazingly easy. Eating food cooked in cast iron also helps with iron absorption in the diet, and can cut down on anemia. When I was pregnant my midwife actually suggested I switch to cooking in cast iron to increase my iron levels.

Cast iron cookware can often be purchased from garage sales or thrift shops for next to nothing. Even if the piece is rusty or greasy, it's easily fixed and will be a welcome addition to your kitchen. You can also buy new cast iron pieces, that will have a gun-metal grey appearance but they will require "seasoning" (described below) before you can use them.

Cooking with Cast Iron

It's very important to pre-heat the pan before cooking your food. Sprinkle a few droplets of water into the pan before adding food. The water droplets should sizzle and skip around the surface of the pan. If the water immediately disappears when dripped into the pan, you need to turn down the heat as the pan is too hot. If the water bubbles in the pan, but doesn't sizzle and evaporate, the pan is too cool. It is CRUCIAL to never pour large amounts of cool liquid into a hot cast iron skillet, as it can cause the pan to break. Another important reminder is that cast iron handles are very hot when the pan is heated, so be sure to use potholders.

Seasoning

All cast iron cookware must be seasoned for proper use. If a pan is properly seasoned, it will work just like non-stick cookware made with Teflon - and the pan will not rust. Cleanup is a breeze with a properly cured cast iron pan. Seasoning simply is a process by which oil is absorbed into the pores of the cookware. You can tell if the cookware is properly seasoned because it will be a uniform black surface. To season cast iron, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash the cookware with hot soapy water and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry. Completely coat the inside and outside surfaces with melted shortening, lard, bacon fat or vegetable oil. Rub it in with a folded paper towel. Place the cookware on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove using a potholder and dry any pools of oil. Return to oven and bake another 30 minutes. You MUST do this with any new cast iron cookware, and may need to repeat this again if you notice that food is sticking in the pan or that bits of the seasoning have flaked off and the pan is rusting.

Cleaning

To properly clean your seasoned cookware, let the plan cool completely and wash with dishwashing soap and water. Do not let the pan soak or let soapy water sit in the pan. Rinse and dry. Do NOT put cast iron in the dishwasher. Turn a stove burner on low and place the cleaned pan on the burner for a minute or two to ensure that all water is evaporated. While the pan is still hot, lightly oil the inside of the pan with vegetable oil, shortening, food grade coconut oil/butter or lard. Turn the burner off, but leave the pan on the burner for a few minutes. Wipe off any excess oil with a paper towel. If you see rust on the pans, you can use barkeeper's friend on the pans before re-seasoning. Or, for an all-natural approach, rub some rhubarb on the rust. Rhubarb is high in oxalic acid which chelates the rust and makes it water soluble. You can simply wash the rust away.

Never store food in cast iron, as the food will take on an unpleasant metallic taste. Tomato sauces and other acidic foods that are cooked in cast iron may look a little darker than normal due to the increased iron levels, but they will taste the same.

Ruffino Reserva Ducale Oro

The soul of Chianti Classico

Riserva Ducale Oro, produced for the first time in 1947, is an evolution of the wine Riserva Ducale, which saw the light in 1927.

There are no words to describe exactly how much this wine means to Ruffino. Riserva Ducale Oro is a modern classic. It tells the tale of the quality evolution which has characterised the last 50 years of Italy's fine wine production.

Riserva Ducale Oro has a distinctive style, recognizable through the decades of the twentieth century. It conveys the ancient traditions of its homeland. This wine is an intrical part of the history of the people of Chianti Classico. Its nature reflects their strong character, their innate will to find new challenges, their passion for the extraordinaty territory which is their home.

"Terroir" is a word that defines the relationship between soil, climate and human intervention. The interaction of these components results in the characteristics which are often defined as a wine's typicality, identity and personality.

Being well aware of the importance of terroir, the House of Ruffino has searched continuously for the ideal Ruffino wine. In the years after World War II, this research led to the creation of Riserva Ducale Oro, as a natural development of the Riserva Ducale and as a symbol of a new challenge which Ruffino set itself in the Chianti region: what is the real quality and ageing potential of Chianti Sangiovese.

Research was conducted in order to further develop the quality of Chianti Classico Sangiovese. The best vineyards in the Chianti Classico area were selected in different areas where different soils, microclimates and exposures would lead to the creation of a Chianti Classico Riserva able to express the richness of this marvellous territory with its many, inimitable, precious characteristics.

Riserva Ducale Oro undergoes a long ageing period in botti, the traditional Tuscan ageing casks. It is an extraordinarily complex Chianti Classico Riserva featuring a solid structure and elegant perfumes - a truly golden wine.

This wine, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2007, bears a particular significance to Ruffino.

Riserva Ducale Oro is today, at the end of the first decade in the new millennium, as it was in 1947, its first year of production, a sincere, honest wine that honours its home region. A wine of breeding, personality and style, recognisable vintage after vintage to anyone who drinks it. A wine that has travelled widely and won awards and appreciation all over the world.

Riserva Ducale Oro is produced only in the very best vintages. One of this extraordinary wine's main features is, in fact, its longevity. Some of the best vintages in the past 50 years include: 1949 and 1955, 1970 and 1975, 1983 and 1985, 1990, 1999, 2001 and the recent 2003.

--- The previous text was from the manufacturer. My review on this one will be short and sweet. We loved this wine. It's an intense garnet red and has undertones of plums, vanilla and ripe cherries. It's a full-bodied wine, so definitely not for the faint of heart, but it's so rich, and so delectable that we were wishing we had another bottle. There were faint whispers of cardamom and coffe with a sweet hint of chocolate. I would buy this wine again and again. A fabulous chianti.

Tip of the Day - Keep Olive Oil Fresh

Many people have a hard time keeping olive oil fresh once they bring it home from the store. Exposure to sunlight, heat and air can turn the oil rancid, and make it unsuitable for cooking. If the oil has a buttery taste, it's likely turned bad.

It's best to keep your olive oil (all oils, actually) away from light and away from the heat of the stovetop or oven. I store mine in a roll-out shelf under the kitchen counter, so they're still easily accessible for cooking and protected from light. Another important tip is to make sure that the bottle is tightly capped. You can refrigerate most grades of olive oil (it's not recommended for extra virgin olive oil though, as condensation can develop in the bottle and affect the flavor). If the oil is cooled in the refrigerator, it may temporarily become cloudy and viscous - potentially even solidifying. Once the oil is warmed back up to room temperature, the oil will clarify and is fine to use. Some cooks keep their olive oil in their wine cellar - and decant only a small amount for normal kitchen use. Unfortunately, I don't have a wine cellar so I can't attest to this method - though I find that the cabinet works just fine.

I typically just store the oil in the bottles it comes in, though you can successfully store it in tinted glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers. Never store oil in plastic (as it can absorb harmful chemicals) or reactive metals.

Cucumber water

We've all heard how important it is to have an adequate fluid intake, especially during the summer months. For me, since I'm nursing Julian, it's especially important that I drink a lot of fluids. However, I'm sick and tired of plain water, and if I drank juice constantly I'd be far over my calorie limit for the day.

The solution? A tip I picked up while traveling in Sweden - cucumber water. Simply take a scrubbed cucumber, and slice it and add to a pitcher of ice water. Let it sit for a few minutes and enjoy. The cucumber adds a subtly sweet flavor that's a refreshing change to plain water. And best of all, it's still virtually calorie free and allegedly works to detoxify your skin. I can't verify those claims, but can attest that it tastes wonderful.