Saffron Fingerling Potato Salad

This amazing salad keeps well for leftovers the next day...that is if there ARE leftovers.  This dish is creamy yet light, delicious and pretty darn easy AND you can get all the ingredients in one Trader Joes trip. The recipe came from Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients

3/4 pound fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/3-inch-thick coins
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
1 small fennel bulb—tough outer layer discarded, bulb cored and finely diced
8 cups mixed baby greens, such as arugula and mesclun (8 ounces)

Directions

In a medium skillet, combine the fingerling potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, saffron and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of water to cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Discard the garlic. 

In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, tomatoes and diced fennel and toss. Add the mixed baby greens, season with salt and pepper and toss again. Serve right away.
 

The cooked potatoes can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Magnolia's Blueberry Coffee Cake with Vanilla Glaze

As many of you know, my husband brought home the Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook from the library and immediately set to work tabbing which recipes he wanted me to make.  But of course the first one that grabbed my attention was the zucchini cake (I promise to post another time!)  Which was delicious, except that Jeff doesn't like zucchini.  So, it being fall, I made another cake...the Pumpkin Bars.  Also delicious, but Jeff doesn't like pumpkin.  So I finally fulfilled my matrimonial obligations with this Blueberry Coffee Cake with Vanilla Glaze.  Twice.  And Jeff will now let me get the book for my very own.  Because he knows he will get this cake again.

This cake is easy to make, but plan ahead because it needs a lot of time to cool before you can slice it.  Make it the day before and it keeps beautifully.

Ingredients:

2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (preferably kosher..its a chemical composition thing, not a jew thing.)
2/3 c canola oil
1 c sugar
2 large eggs at room temp (nifty hint:  put eggs from the fridge into a bowl of warm water for 10 min or so to get room temp eggs!)
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c fresh blueberries, lightly coated with flour (so they don't sink in the cake)

Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. confectioners (i.e. powdered) sugar, sifted
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and lightly flour a 10 inch tube/bundt pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl. 

Beat together in the mixer the oil, sugar and eggs for about 3 minutes until light and thick.  Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, beating until smooth.  Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan for one hour.  Remove from pan.

Make the Vanilla Glaze:  In a double boiler over barely simmering water, combine the sugar, cream and vanilla and stir for about 2 minutes until well blended.  Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle over the cake.  Allow the glaze to set for one hour before slicing.

Grilled Shrimp and Vegetables with Israeli Couscous

 

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine June 2006 by Melissa Roberts-Matar

This is one of those ooh and ahh type recipes that come off as super impressive with not too much work.  It helps if you have the herb garden outside with the oregano and thyme, but I would definitely purchase those items rather than use dried to pull this off correctly. You can make the shrimp, veggies and couscous ahead of time and them combine them together with the feta just before serving.  Here is my handy dandy helpful tip:  when grilling shrimp, thread each of them on two skewers to prevent the shrimp from twisting around and it will be easier to flip over the fire.  Oh yeah, Israeli Couscous is available at Trader Joes, but is even cheaper at a kosher market.

 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups pearl couscous (sometimes called Israeli couscous; 3/4 pound)
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl ounces)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 2 lb large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined if necessary
• 2 medium red onions (1 pound total)
• 2 pounds large zucchini (about 4), cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 6 ounces feta, crumbled (1 1/4 cups)

Preparation

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).  Toss shrimp with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and thread 4 or 5 shrimp onto each skewer (don't crowd, or shrimp won't cook evenly).

Peel onions and trim root ends slightly, leaving ends intact, then halve lengthwise and cut halves lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Insert 1 wooden pick through each wedge to hold layers together while grilling, then put onions in a large bowl with zucchini. Toss vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

Grill shrimp skewers on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once with tongs, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer shrimp, discarding skewers, to a clean bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.  Grill vegetables on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until just tender, about 5 minutes, transferring to bowl as grilled. Remove and discard picks from onions.

Whisk together vinegar, oregano, thyme, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl until salt is dissolved. Add 1/3 cup oil in a slow stream, whisking until vinaigrette is combined. 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then toast couscous, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. While couscous toasts, stir together broth, water, and saffron in a large glass measure. Add to couscous with 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and couscous is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Stir vinaigrette to combine, then stir 2 tablespoons into couscous and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature. 

Drizzle vegetables with remaining vinaigrette and toss to combine.

Spoon couscous onto a large platter or shallow serving bowl. Arrange shrimp and vegetables on top of couscous and sprinkle with feta. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Magnolia's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Now, I know ya'all think of cupcakes when you think of Magnolia Bakery, at least I know my husband did when he brought home the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook from the library.  But I am a fickle baker.  And I don't really like cupcakes.  So, the first outing was the Zucchini Walnut Bread, which was delicious.  The second outing was these Pumpkin Bars.  Which most everyone loved...neighbors, friends, the guy who teaches my son violin...but not my husband (hates squash, be it zucchini or pumpkin).  So he gets to pick out the next experiment from the book...Blueberry Muffins (can you get any more pedestrian?)

But, as I said, this recipe rocked for those of us without squash aversions.  And so, I present to you:

Magnolia Bakery's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.  Which is really more like cake than bars, but I digress.

Bar Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

1 1/4 canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 c sugar
3/4 c canola oil
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

1 8 oz package of cream cheese
3 Tb butter
3/4 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 c sifted confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour a 13 x 9 baking pan.

Sift together the first 5 ingredients, flour through salt, into a bowl.

In a mixer, beat the pumkin, sugar, oil and eggs about 3 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Mix in the toasted pecans.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for about a half an hour.  Remove from oven and let cool completely before icing.

To make the icing,  beat the cream cheese with the butter for about 3 minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat well.  Gradually add the sugar, and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.  Cover and refrigerate the icing  for 2-3 hours before using.

Ad Hoc's Rice with Roasted Cauliflower

This recipe, printed in the Los Angeles Times, had been sitting around my house for a while, but with a cauliflower adverse family in tow, it never seemed like the right time to make it.  But sometimes, you just gotta say, what the heck, I'm making it anyway and if I am the only one who eats it, so be it.  And I was the only one who ate it.  But I went back for seconds and but for the fact that I actually need to be able to fit into my jeans, I would have scarfed down the entire thing, easily. 

So I pass this on to you, with the caveat that it has not met with worldwide approval, but I did eat leftovers for breakfast...


Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10 (or one, if you are me.)

1/2 head white cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of curry powder
6 cups water
1 cup Carolina, or long grain, rice (I used basmati, but jasmine would work well also.)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used only one)
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (I used only one)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the canola oil and season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste.

3. Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan (reserve the bowl) and roast until the cauliflower is a deep brown and tender throughout when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing every few minutes for even coloring and cooking. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees.

4. While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the rice: In a large saucepan, add the water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and chili flakes and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the rice just until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice well, then spread the rice in a thin shallow layer in a large baking dish.  (I used my handy dandy rice cooker to cook the rice with the chili flakes and then dried it out further in the oven per the next step.)

5. Place the rice in the oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Remove, then stir in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper.

6. Place the cauliflower back in the bowl and toss with the curry powder. Taste and season, if desired, with additional salt and pepper.

7. Gently stir in the warmed rice and butter, tossing until the butter is melted and evenly coats the rice and cauliflower. Stir in the green onions and serve immediately.

Last of Summer Fettuccine

What better way to celebrate back to school (and I mean "celebrate" with dancing around the house to cranked up tunes once the kids are safely ensconsed in their cubbies of scholasticity) than with this fabulous and aptly named tequila infused pasta dish adapted from Jesse Ziff Cool's Simply Organic cookbook?

1 lb fettuccine
1/4 c (or a bit less) olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, stemmed, seed and chopped
1/4 c tequila (totally optional)
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
2 T chopped fresh oregano (I'm sure 1T dried would work, but since the stuff is overtaking my garden, I am happy to machete it for this purpose.)
4 oz feta cheese
1 avocado, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper

Cook the fettucine according to the directions.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  While it is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over med high heat.  After a couple of minutes, add the onion and red pepper and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic, jalepeno and tequila, if using, and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, cilantro and oregano and saute for another 3 min or so until the tomatoes are soft.

Stir in the cheese and avocado and add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the drained fettuccine into the pan and toss over heat until incorporated.  Serve and bask in the glow of your dinner guests' praise.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

This is my all time favorite summertime potluck bring along.  Yeah, this Nigella Lawson recipe is a bit weird sounding with the onions and all, but at the heart of it, it is just fruit and cheese...a classic combo.

1 small red onion
2-4 limes, depending on juiciness
3-pound watermelon
8 ounces feta cheese
handful of Italian parsley
handful of fresh mint
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces Kalamata olives (totally optional...my family is not olive friendly, so they rarely make it in.)
coarsely ground black pepper

Peel and halve the red onion, then cut into the thinest slices possible. Cover with lime juice, and let the onion steep for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the rind and seeds from the melon, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Cut the feta into slightly smaller pieces, and put the watermelon and the feta in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the olives, parsley, and mint, and add them to the bowl. Pour in the onions and the lime juice, and add the olive oil and pepper. Toss gently.

Serves 8.  Or if you are me, 1.