When Life Hands You Lemons...

I really like lemons. Zesting a lemon is by far, one of the most fragrant experiences you can have, in my opinion. Nothing smells quite as alive as a lemon. Lemons clear your head, shooing away the fog of the day.

This loaf is my version of Dorie Greenspan's Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze which appeared in the February 2005 issue of Bon Appetit. I usually have a slice with a cup of tea in the middle of the night after the kids have long been asleep. It both relaxes and recharges me, and if you think that is a juxtaposition of sorts, just try it and you'll know what I mean.

Lemon Yogurt Loaf

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup fat-free Greek style yogurt (or regular fat free yogurt if Greek isn't available)
1 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
1/2 tsp (packed) finely grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the loaf pan

For Glaze:
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 lemon (with peel), sliced extremely thinly, seeded, and chopped

Preheat oven to 350*F.
Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch nonstick loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour and baking powder together with a fork. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon extract, lemon peel, and vanilla; whisk until well blended. Add all of the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and whisk until combined and there are only smallish lumps. Whisk in oil until combined and no lumps appear. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.

While loaf is baking, place glaze ingredients in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until mixture starts to bubble. Gently swirl pan until all of the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for an additional 3 minutes, or until the lemon peel becomes translucent. Turn heat off and set aside.

When the loaf is finished baking, allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Place loaf right side up on cooling rack, and set rack over a piece of aluminum foil or back over the empty loaf pan. Using a toothpick, bamboo skewer, or a fork; pierce the top of the loaf every half inch or so. Spoon glaze and lemon peel over the loaf slowly, covering the entire top of the loaf. Let cool completely before slicing.

I promise you that I'm still cooking. Really.

Much has happened since July 2, 2008.

I won't go into gory details, but I'm much happier of late. Traveling, cooking, taking care of my kids on my own (sure, read into that all you want.)

I haven't felt very creative of late. Most of the time, dinner is something that I throw together without writing anything down. Usually something in the slow cooker, or something that can be cooked with a minimal amount of effort.

I promise that I will attempt something creative on the weekends. Really.

This weekend will likely be something having to do with barramunda, which is a fish that I just discovered, but I guess has been around a bit.

Fava Bean & Greens Soup with Ciabatta Croutons

In the summertime, I tend to flit about like the ants in the proverb of the ants and the grasshopper, making sure that I have enough "put up" for winter. These past few weeks I've been canning jam (strawberry, triple berry, banana-rum, and today, sour cherry.) Tomorrow, I'll be making mulberry jelly, which is a new recipe, since I came across a glut of mulberries yesterday at the cherry picking farm.

This soup is easily created from a few pantry items, some spring greens, and some mushrooms. The ciabatta croutons add a nice crunch to the soup, should you feel you need a bit more substance. Dried fava beans can be found in larger grocery stores with the dry beans, or by mail order. Feel free to substitute cannellini beans or white kidney beans, just don't worry about peeling them first.

Fava Bean & Greens Soup

1 lb dry fava beans, picked through and rinsed, soaked overnight, and peeled

1/2 cup finely minced onion

1/4 cup finely minced carrot

1/4 cup finely minced celery

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary, divided

2 Tbsp. minced fresh sage, divided

1 tsp. each salt and ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 cup diced shiitake mushroom

32 oz vegetable or chicken stock

32 oz water

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cups chopped swiss chard, collard greens, beet greens,or turnip greens, main stem removed

Garnish: Ciabatta croutons, recipe follows

In a 6-qt stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until onion is translucent; about 5 minutes. Add garlic and 1 Tbsp each of the rosemary and sage, and 1 tsp each of the salt and pepper. Saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add shiitake mushrooms and turn heat to medium-high. Saute the mixture until the mushrooms start to brown; about 5 minutes. Add stock, water, and beans to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are tender and begin to fall apart. Turn off heat and allow soup to cool to room temperature.

Using a blender, puree the soup until a smooth consistency is achieved. Return soup to pot and bring to just boiing. Add greens, remaining rosemary and sage, and stir to combine. Cook until greens are tender; about 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: About four 2 1/2 cup servings

Ciabatta Croutons

Ciabatta bread, about three slices, each one-inch thick

2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced in half

Preheat oven to 400*F. Rub the slices of bread with the garlic. Slice the bread into one inch cubes to yield 2 cups or so. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and cheese, tossing to coat. Bake cubes for 15 minutes, or until well toasted. Yield: Four 1/2 cup servings

Agave Glazed Shrimp

This is my go-to recipe when I have about 10 minutes to whip something together. It is the ultimate quick & dirty dinner. If you cannot find agave nectar (which hides around the sugar section natural food department around these parts), you can substitute Lyle's Golden Syrup. This is really great on top of some buttery cheddar grits mixed in with some fresh corn scraped off of the cob.

1 lb. raw jumbo (21-26) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. sliced green onion/scallion, light green parts only

Sprinkle the shrimp with cayenne, salt, and pepper. In a heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat the oil on high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add shrimp and cook about 1 minute on each side, until shrimp are opaque. Drizzle the agave nectar over the shrimp and toss the shrimp until it is evenly coated. Remove from heat and sprinkle with scallion. Serve immediately.

Quick & Dirty Dinners: Taco Casserole

Last night was a Quick & Dirty night. Easy to throw together and filling, this will pretty much cancel any plans for take-out mexican food. It's a big hit with the kids too. A simple salad with ranch dressing rounds this out if you don't feel like throwing some chopped lettuce and ranch dressing on top and acting like a heathen.

Taco Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef, cooked and drained.
1 10 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained (such as Muir Glen) or 1 can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles (if you want it spicy)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 10 oz can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese condensed soup
1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning (such as Old El Paso)
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 8-ounce bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters

Serving suggestion:
shredded lettuce, black olives, sliced spring (green) onion, ranch salad dressing

Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix the ground beef, tomatoes, sauce, soup, sour cream and seasoning together until well-blended. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spray a 11 x 7 casserole dish with cooking spray (or a 2-qt oval casserole dish) and place about 1/3 of the tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 of the meat mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat tortilla layer, top with 1/2 meat, 1/3 cheese, top with tortillas and remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and bubbling, and top layer of cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Top with lettuce, olives, onion, and dressing.

Samosa Pot Pie

The filling for this is best made the day before, only because the flavors really have time to meld and intensify. The pastry throws you for a loop at first, as it is the most impossible stuff to work with, but trust me... it will be smooth and lovely when you let it stand for a bit. This is my quintessential potluck recipe. If you're pressed for time, you can always use a refrigerated pie crust (such as Pillsbury) but this one really is easier than it sounds.

Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. canola oil
6 Tbsp. water

Filling:

6 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled in their skins and cooled.
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 bag of frozen peas (about 2 cups)
1 minced hot chili pepper (I use a red jalapeno), ribs and seeds removed, optional
1/2 tsp ground ginger, or 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp garam masala
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice

For serving:
1-2 cups of chutney, preferably tamarind (Naturally India makes a great jarred chutney) or McQuade's Fig & Ginger Chutney

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch dice. Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof saute pan over med-high heat (or a large saute pan, but plan on transferring the mixture to a 13x9 inch pan to bake in the oven.) When hot, but not smoking, add the onion and saute until onion is translucent and browning at edges. Add the peas, ginger, cilantro, and water. Cover, lower heat, and simmer until peas are cooked. Stir every minute or so and add more water if it seems to dry out. Add the potatoes, salt, coriander, garam masala, cumin, cayenne, and lemon/lime juice. Stir to mix. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Taste, and adjust salt and lemon/lime juice. Remove from heat and let cool before putting it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

For the psatry: Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the oil, and rub the flour mixture between your fingers (like you're rubbing cold hands together) until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water and mix with your hands until you can form a very stiff ball. It doesn't hold toether at first, so do not add more water to it, just keep at it. Empty the ball onto a clean work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it is nearly smooth (well, smooth for a very stiff ball. It is still not going to hold together very well.) Form a ball and place it in a zip-top bag with a few drops of oil (about 1/2 tsp) making sure to coat the ball with the oil. Let stand for 30 minutes or longer at room temperature. The dough will soften as it rests. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness to cover whichever sized pan you're using.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Cover filling mixture with dough, cutting a vent in the middle. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is dark golden brown and filling is hot. Serve hot, or at room temperature with chutney.

Not Quite

So, no, we're not quite over the pox on our house (I'm seriously considering taking out stock in Kleenex.) I didn't even make Samosa Pot Pie, but I will post the recipe today, come hell or high water.