I've got garden-fresh asparagus! Seriously, look at them. Dirt is still clinging to these bad boys. After a very successful, productive meeting for the nonprofit I'm on the board of, Veggie U, we lucky board members were given some uber-fresh spring asparagus to take home. And I don't care what else happens today (ten pages? what?) I'm cooking those pretty green spears for dinner tonight. Question is, how? I love asparagus raw in salads, grilled over an open flame, oven-roasted with olive oil, drizzled with balsamic vengar. Considering how new and tender this batch is, though, I could go the fast and easy route and just steam them. They don't need a lot of gussying up, but I made mayonnaise last week, which has got to be the most perfect dipping sauce. Especially if I maybe swirled in a little extra lemon and garlic for an impromptu aioli. Deborah Madison, my vegetable guru, recommends cooking fresh asparagus in a skillet of boiling water, just until the spears turn an even brighter green. I've always steamed asparagus in a basket over boiling water, so I'll be interested to see if I can tell the difference. I agree with Deb, though, the main thing is not to overdo it. Take them off the heat before they're done--they'll keep cooking for a few minutes after they're out of the pot. I'll let you know how it turns out.

What's your favorite way to cook asparagus?

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 1:28 PM 5 comments  

Labels: asparagus, Deborah Madison, food, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Yet another stellar offering from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, the Artichoke, Shallot, and Potato Ragout (hereafter referred to as ASPG or simply the ragout) I made last night was a big hit. Straightforward and easy, although slightly tedious to prepare unless you particularly enjoy scrubbing potatoes and chopping vegetables. I don't, so I had to force myself to do it, but I'm so glad I did! Not only did we get a wonderful dinner out of it, but I used the leftovers creatively this morning for a yummy savory bread pudding.

Here's my mise en place:
I used frozen artichoke hearts rather than the baby artichokes the recipe called for; my local supermarket isn't so great about stocking "exotic" items. The first step (after all the boring chopping, which is never included in estimates of how long the dish will take to prepare, grr) was to warm the butter with the slivered garlic and aromatics. Yes, I cheated and used a pre-made bouquet garni that came in a jar from Williams Sonoma, via my Christmas stocking from my mother-in-law.Once I started adding the chopped vegetables (frozen artichokes which I'd perhaps over-thawed in the microwave, quartered fingerling potatoes, carrots, rutabaga, and peeled shallots) it became abundantly clear that I had drastically overestimated the capacity of my Le Creuset braiser and needed to swap it out for the deeper dutch oven. I made the switch, losing only a few pieces of fingerling and an artichoke or two, and let it go for a few minutes. The vegetables were supposed to get some nice color, but they were so packed in there they were steaming more than sizzling. Eventually I gave up and moved on to the next step, tossing with flour for thickener, adding the liquid and simmering until everything was good and tender.
The recipe calls for white wine; I like to use dry vermouth for its bright, herbal flavor. Thank you, Julia Child! And thanks to Cook's Illustrated for taste testing commercial brands of canned vegetable stock. Swanson's got the highest marks for flavor, so that's what's in my pantry.

The end result was simple and delicious. A surprisingly flavorful broth with large (a little too large, for my taste--next time I'd dice more conservatively) chunks of meltingly soft root vegetables. The whole shallots, especially, were like candy, sweet and addictive. The chopped parsley and rosemary sprinkled over the top added more than just a bit of pretty greenery; the clean sharpness of the fresh herbs contrasted nicely with the earthy vegetables. I served it with sourdough bread to soak up the juices. Stinger had two bowls!
And then this morning, I tossed some of the drained leftovers with cubed whole grain bread and a couple of eggs beaten with milk. Baked it in a buttered pan at 350 for half an hour, and voila! Savory breakfast bread pudding. Yum!And there's still some ASPG leftover. Deborah says the recipe makes four servings! I'm not sure what sort of bottomless pit Deb is cooking for, but Stinger and I will be enjoying this ragout, in various incarnations, for days.

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 9:45 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Artichoke, breakfast, Deborah Madison, dinner, Potato, Ragout, Shallot, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Last week I made the most fabulous black bean soup out of Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It was a more traditional American preparation than the currently common southwestern variety--meaning, it had a dollop of sherry and cream rather than chili peppers. I loved it! Very simple and different, and extremely healthy. Beans are the magical fruit, after all.

Here's my mise en place (French for chopped and measured ingredients all in one place so I don't forget anything):
I started the vegetables (carrots, onion, and green bell pepper) and spices (chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves) off in the bottom of my favorite Le Creuset pot, softening them in butter. Then I smushed in some tomato paste for color and depth of flavor. Don't you just love tomato paste in a tube?I'd soaked the beans the night before, so they were all ready to add here, along with some water. The whole thing had to come to the boil and then simmer gently, partially covered, until the beans were soft, about two hours. Might have been less if I hadn't drained the beans too soon and allowed them to dry back out a little by accident.Once everything was good and mushy, I dumped two thirds of the soup into the food processor and gave it a whirl. Then I added it back to the pot, so there were some chunky vegetables and whole beans for texture in with the puree, and swirled in the dry sherry and the dairy. The recipe calls for cream or milk, and I used 2% as part of my ongoing quest to not always invariably eat the fattiest, naughtiest way possible. And honestly, in this case it's hard to imagine how heavy cream could make this soup any thicker or richer. It was divine with the lowfat milk, and the sherry gave it a sophisticated, boozy quality I really enjoyed. It was a fairly strong component of the flavor, actually, and Nick liked it less than I did. Some people might prefer to revise down the amount of sherry. But for me, it was superb! Garnish with a bit of minced Italian parsley for color, and there you go.
Perfect winter meal!

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 2:15 PM 6 comments  

Labels: black bean, Deborah Madison, food, soup, vegetarian, winter meal