Corn Fritters Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Last week, while on vacation with my man’s family, I wanted to cook a few things for everyone and I knew just what would be perfect: corn fritters. This recipe is a serious pleaser. Everytime I make these, they last about 10 minutes, I’m not kidding. I find the recipe very easy to double, although, I will warn you, you may find yourself often tripling it instead.

I serve this with a few different dips that compliment it, the most popular have been wasabi mayo (the most enjoyed by far), maple syrup and my man’s mom found that maple syrup and confectioner’s sugar were amazing with this as well.

The thing I love about this recipe is how fast it is to make and that you can eat it anytime of day: breakfast, snack, appetizer, lunch or dinner accompaniment. It’s also versatile because you’ll find it just as tasty at room temperature and they don’t take long to reheat (that’s if you ever have any leftover!) The recipe calls for fresh corn but frozen works too. This recipe was created by my favorite America’s Test Kitchener, Bridget Lancaster. She says this is a family summer favorite, and I must say, she’s onto something with this one, for sure.

If you like this, just wait til I have time to post in a couple days what I made for dessert! Til now, let the fritting begin…

Farmstand Corn Fritters
Makes 12 Fritters
by Bridget Lancaster, for Cooks’ Country Magazine

The recipe states that the batter can be made and covered in the refridgerator up to 4 hours.

1 1/2 lbs fresh corn (2 large or 3 to 4 medium ears), husks and silk removed**
1 large egg, beaten lightly
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp cornmeal
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil, or more as needed

**I use 1 and 1/2 cup of thawed frozen corn for this when fresh corn is not in season or I’m in a pinch for time; it works fine.

Using a chef’s knife, cut kernels from 1 to 2 ears corn and place in bowl (you should have about 1 cup whole kernels). Grate kernels from remaining 1 to 2 ears on large holes of box grater (you should have generous 1/2 cup grated kernels) into bowl with cut kernels. Using back of knife, scrape any pulp remaining on all cobs into bowl. Stir in egg, flour, cornmeal, cream, shallot, salt and cayenne.

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop 6 heaping tablespoonfuls batter in pan. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side, or until cooked through. Transfer fritters to plate lined with paper towels. If necessary, add more oil to skillet and heat until shimmering; fry remaining batter. Serve fritters immediately.

Ira’s Lunch Tuesday, July 24, 2007

I was attempting this Moosewood recipe when I realized I didn’t have tofu-kan and couldn’t run out and get any. So I realized I just had to press, freeze and then thaw the block of tofu I had in my fridge. I then crumbled the tofu (because the recipe called for the tofu to be grated) in a heated oiled nonstick skillet. I then seasoned the tofu with soy sauce and stirred it constantly until heated through. It works just fine in this recipe, so if you are out of tofu-kan, I recommend this method.

The recipe calls for it to be served on a bed of greens with tomato slices, which is a gluten-free take on this recipe. However, I eat this as a sandwich on high fiber toast or in a sandwich roll. Whichever you choose, this is a really delicious low-fat recipe.

Ira’s Lunch
from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
(created by Linda Dickinson for Ira Rabois)
Serves 4

1 cake tofu-kan (7 oz), grated
1/2 cup diced red or green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery (optional)
2 Tbsp minced scallions or red onions
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
dash of ground black pepper, or more to taste

greens, such as ruby or buttercrunch lettuce or spinach
tomato slices

Mix together the tofu, bell peppers, celery, if using, scallions or red onions, parsley, dill, mustard, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and black pepper in a bowl until well combined. Serve immediately on greens with fresh tomato slices (or on sandwich bread) or chill to serve later.

Helpful Hint: Tofu Tuesday, July 24, 2007

This is the first post of a category I’m calling “helpful hints”. I hope that the tricks I’ve learned through cooking shows, experience and my grandmother’s wisdom can help you too. If you have a helpful hint to share, please feel free to comment. I’m no expert, but there are some little culinary tricks that I’ve picked up over time that seem to impress my friends. I am hoping that as this blog goes on I will be able to share pictures and that readers feel free to share with us if they’ve made a meal posted here and how it went.

My first helpful hint is a few things about tofu. Some of these may be familiar to you, but I find myself surprised when some friends and accquaintances of mine who are vegan or vegetarian don’t know about some of these lil “tips”. My next recipe I’ll be posting inspired the topic of tofu.

Tofu

-You should rinse your tofu once it is removed from the package. Tofu stays good for a week at the longest and if you haven’t prepared the entire amount that was packaged, submerge it in water and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Change the water everyday until use. This one scares me because many people don’t follow this and as a person who once had salomenella poisoning, I’m really freaked out by bacterial mishaps, but that is my weirdo thing… maybe I shouldn’t push this on people? But, my argument for this is I find it typically on packages and in standard books that touch on vegetarian protein staples.

-To make your tofu have a firmer or chewy texture, press the tofu for 30 minutes and then freeze it. This works especially well for firm tofu that you want to retain it’s shape while cooking or for extra firm tofu that you would like to crumble while cooking.

-Tofu stays good frozen for up to six months I’ve been told but, I still can’t seem to find out if that is before the expiration date.

-Silken tofu seems to be favorites for soups, try to use this instead for pureed soups or chinese inspired soups.

-Tofu seems to work best when pressed, because you are squeezing out the extra water content and therefore, it absorbs flavors better. To press tofu, simply rinse the tofu and wrap it in paper towels. Place it between two plates and put weight on top of the top plate, using common kitchen items, such as canned goods. Most recipes will say that 30 minutes is enough time for pressing tofu.

THE Best Cheesy Potato Casserole Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Whenever I make this casserole, the slices are snatched up insanely quick, and if I serve it for more than just me and my man, there are never leftovers. It’s from a free sample issue of Cooks Country magazine from the people of America’s Test Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated. I promise you’ll love this! It could easily be converted into a vegetarian recipe by switching out the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Aside from the wonderful flavor, the aroma that fills your house while cooking this dish is delicious enough.

Cheesy Potato Casserole
Serves 8 to 16

From Cooks’ Country, by Eva Katz

4 garlic cloves, 1 clove cut in half length-wise, remaining cloves minced
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (4 to 5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
4-5 slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces (about 4 cups)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Use cut side of halved garlic to rub sides and bottom of 2 quart shallow baking or gratin dish. Allow garlic in dish to dry briefly, about 2 minutes, then coat dish with softened butter. Combine cheeses in small bowl.

Bring minced garlic, cream, broth, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in potatoes.

Spoon half of potato mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with half of cheese, add remaining potato mixture, and press with spatula to compact. Press bread pieces into casserole. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and continue baking until golden and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before serving.

Tomato Pineapple Salsa with Black Beans Thursday, July 12, 2007

After we had dinner at a Mexican/Carribean theme restaurant, my man was inspired to create a salsa that was served to us. It had the right mix of sweet and salty and the black beans provide protein and hearty texture. I’m not a fan of cilantro, so I use flat leaf parsley in my dishes, but if you prefer cilantro, use that in place of the parsley. Now we make this a regular rotation on our menu. Serve it on sandwiches, use it to top off Mexican dishes or just serve it with your favorite tortilla chips for a healthy snack.

My Man’s Pineapple-Tomato Salsa with Black Beans

1 cup diced pineapple
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/4 of one garlic clove, minced
dash of cayenne
dash of chili powder
one 15oz can black beans, cooked
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
Juice of 1/2 of one fresh lemon
sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pineapple, tomatoes, onion, garlic and black beans. Stir until the mixture is evenly distributed. Add the cayenne, chili powder, parsley or cilantro and the lemon juice. Store in refrigerator for at least a half hour, tightly sealed, so that the flavors can develop. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Vegetable Tian With Herbs de Provence Saturday, June 30, 2007

Slow cookers are often overlooked as a summer cooking device. I guess it has to do with how many recipes involving stew and the like there are out there, but they are in fact, wonderful warm weather options. Why? They don’t heat up the house like an oven would. Also, there is little sweat and backbreaking involved in the cooking process so you have a much needed nutritious meal to replace those electrolytes that you sweated out, without the hard work!

I’m still relatively a newbie when it comes to the slow cooker. I’ve had mine for about two years and I’m still trying out dozen of recipes. If you’re a newbie too, I highly recommend Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. Not only are her recipes tasty, she includes information about slow cookers that you need to know when you forge a relationship with these babies. For instance, how long tofu and seitan hold up in a slow cooker, how to time according to low and high settings compared to recommended timings, etc. Some people complain flavor is lost during slow cooking but I disagree. You just need to learn the basics of how they work, a little trial and error and a few good books along the way to guide you through and inspire.

This is one of my favorite recipes from Robin Robertson and chances are, you can find most of these at your local farmer’s market this time of year, so it’s oh so fresh!

Vegetable Tian With Herbs de Provence
from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, by Robin Robertson

Slow Cooker Size: 3 1/2 to 4 quart
Cook Time: 6 to 8 hours
Setting: Low
Serves 4 to 6

6 shallots, halved
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
1 lb. small red potatoes, quartered
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup vegetable stock or water
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 teaspooons dried herbes de Provence
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Combine all the vegetables in a 3 1/2-to-4 quart slow cooker. Add the vegetable stock and 2 Tbsps of the olive oil. Season with the herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Combine well to coat the vegetables. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

In a small skillet, toast the bread crumbs in the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside.

When the tian is done, sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top and serve.