the cool kids

i've been drinking beer for a long time...could it be 12 years now? i am starting to feel like i have this better understanding - a fluency really - about what to order based on my moods, the weather, the occasion, and so on.

standing in front of a case stocked to the teeth with hundreds of fantastic bottles no longer gives me that weird choice anxiety. even the bearded beer dude coming over to chat feels less intimidating now that i can accept that he's not showing off - he just gets true smiles from sharing all his nerdy, sudsy wisdom.

it's no brewmaster geeky secret, though, that as temperatures rise lighter, crispier, often wheat-y beers come into vogue. a glass of berliner weisse or super cold pale ale in blue skied july is divine, melting the edges of even the most gnarly humidity induced angst. much like music selection and lighting schemes, the right beer at the right time can really pull everything together.

but where to go when the mercury reaches sadistic new heights and that coriander flecked white beer might as well be a coffee porter? when the only food that can rouse the least bit of your appetite is raw fruit? when the only energy you can expend is staggering towards a cold shower like a sweaty zombie?

now pull yourself together, man! it's Shandy Time. so round up some fresh fruits, cold beers, and a fistful of fresh herbs and get on this road to recovery. shandies are all the rage in philadelphia this summer, popping up at menus high brow and low. of course i've sampled a few of these offerings, and while the good ones are indeed quite good (the jolly rancher inspired watermelon shandy at morgan's pier and the lemonhead scented one at pub & kitchen are two of the more memorable), but they're often too cloying for my taste. sweetness alone does not equal refreshment for me, quite the contrary, so i thought through a way to find more balance in this juicy beer cocktail (oh, could there be any three words more lovely together??), and this is where i ended up.

instead of starting with an already-fruited beer, i cracked a lovable, affordable, and fuss free standard: sly fox royal weisse. allagash white or walt wit would do just fine, too. since some distinct flavors are going in the mix, a beer of too high quality or rarity might be overwrought. keep it simple, as this cold one may be a matter of survival.

Watermelon Rosemary Shandies
~ makes 4
~takes 5 or 10 minutes, depending on how quick/slow you're moving

ingredients:
a 6 pack of sly fox royal weisse (you'll only need 3 for this recipe, but you'll want a second round, trust me)
about 4 cups of watermelon, seeds optional
2 lemons
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped off the stems
2 tablespoons rice syrup (another sweetener is fine...just keep the ratio low so you don't make the simple syrup too sweet)

- bring about a 1/4 cup of water to a boil and add the rice syrup or other sweetener. stir til dissolved and take off the heat. add the rosemary and let it steep while it cools. you want to ideally get a lot of herbal flavor, so the longer the better.

- roughly chop the watermelon and puree in a food processor or blender. whiz the hell out of it. strain the juice through a mesh sieve. if you don't mind a texture-y drink, leaving the pulp in could be good, too.

- roll the lemons under your palm to get their juices flowing. cut each in half.

- fill 4 pint glasses with ice. pour the beer about 2/3 of the way up, then squeeze half a lemon in each glass. a seed or two might fall in but that's ok. top off each glass with a healthy slug of watermelon juice, then stir in teaspoon or two of the rosemary syrup. taste and adjust with little splashes of beer, juice or syrup til those suckers are right where you want them. if there's a little beer left over in one of the three cans you opened, well that's just a little bonus for you being such an awesome friend to share these drinks with your pals in their time of need.

- if, at the end of all this there is leftover watermelon juice, rejoice! a wee splash added to even the most sub-par light beer brings it to a sick new level of deliciousness.

viva variations: the lemons can be replaced with limes, or any other sour citrus (seville oranges at brunch time?), and of course the secondary fruit can be swapped to suite your tastes. watermelons are such a snap to puree and strain, though, and blend with the beer so happily, that i cannot recommend them enough. and the herbs really brings it all home, adding some bass to the constant high note that all the sweet and sourness brings. a shandy in your hand and an episode of Frozen Planet cued up, and hey look! you're making it through the heat in one piece.

love,

emily

ribollita salad

real talk (does anyone say that anymore?): i love kale. i will refrain from going on and on with all the reasons i adore it so, and just state finally that it is my favorite green vegetable on this planet. everything you need to know about why kale is king veg are clearly illustrated here. its emerald frills are welcome in every savory dish i can imagine, but i think i like it best in a pure state: sauteed with garlic and lemon, or better yet - raw in a salad. yes, raw! when its inside-scrubbing powers are at their most potent.

to paraphrase my friend allison,
"even being in the same room as kale makes you healthier"

last thursday sister lauren and our pal annabell came over for dinner. before they arrived i started prepping a salad whose concept had occurred to me earlier while i was browsing this awesome food blog. one of the featured recipes on that site was for ribollita, a hearty and simple tuscan peasant soup. i ate ribollita constantly awhile back, when i worked for an italian cafe that makes consistently top notch stuff, including killer soups. you probably already know that white beans and kale are best friend ingredients, but they meld extra well together against the tomato broth-y backdrop in ribollita. i scanned the Food52 recipe and excitedly realized that all the necessary elements were already waiting in the fridge at home! but thursday was one of those spring preview days: warm and cheery and decidedly not a soup day. and then a little idea bubbled up from my cooking-brain, and there it was: ribollita salad!

the ingredients await their fate

note- when i make this salad again i will do one of a few things to improve it:
1. make the salad a full 24 hours in advance to let the marinating powers really take over.
and/or
2. seek out younger, more tender kale. 2 bunches of farmer's market lacinato kale in the summer will be just the ticket.
and/or
3. toss the kale with still-hot vegetable broth to wilt it ever so slightly (this is reflected in the recipe below).
as it was, the kale in this salad was still very raw by the time it was served, and kind of intense in texture. for true kale-o-philes such as ourselves it wasn't a big deal, but for the uninitiated, it might be a less pleasant chewing experience.

but otherwise, the end product was indeed a cold and crunchy version of the soup, just as i'd envisioned. this also made a monster batch, but was perfect for lunch for the next few days, as the dressing dutifully worked its magic on the tougher bits.

Ribollita Salad
~takes about 30 minutes, plus marinating time~
~serves 4-6, or lunch for days~

ingredients:
1 large bunch of kale, cut off the rib and torn or cut into bite sized pieces/ribbons
2 tomatoes
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
2 shallots
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15 ounce can of white beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons vegetable broth, warmed
1 tablespoon tomato paste, tomato juice, or the watery tomato stuff from canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and dried italian seasoning to taste
1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs (do not use pre-made here! too sandy, blech)
parmesan reggiano (optional)

- put the prepped kale in a large salad bowl.

- heat up the veg broth, either in the microwave or on the stove top. while it's still hot, whisk in the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, and lemon juice. add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking to emulsify best you can. season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano/basil/marjoram. taste to adjust. if the dressing has cooled by this point, re-heat gently til medium warm.

- toss the kale with the dressing, making sure all the leaves are coated. cover with a lid or towel and set to the side. you want this to marinate for at least 30 minutes before eating. if you're making something else for lunch or dinner as well, now is a good time to start working on that.

- chop up the rest of the vegetables for the salad. if you want to get fancy and shred the carrots, or soak the shallots in cold water for a few minutes to tame their bite, go for it.

- prep the breadcrumbs. if you're making your own from a heel of stale baguette (bravo!), rub the bread with the cut edge of a garlic clove, then blast apart in the food processor. toast gently in the toaster oven or in a pan, til golden and fragrant.

- taste the marinated kale. add a splash more vinegar, or more s&p, or another secret weapon (caper juice? dry vermouth?) if you desire a bolder flavor. otherwise, toss in the rest of the vegetables and the beans. before serving, dump the breadcrumbs on top. for the dairy eaters, some shaved parm is called for here.


a craft beer in a frosty can is rarely out of order with dinner, and the citrusy crispness of the avery white rascal was a fine companion beverage to the kale salad, the roasted brussels with tempeh bacon (team Lauren), and red rice and root vegetables (team Annabell) that made up the vegan feast that we three sat down to. you know, if i'd been cooking and eating alone (as happens a bit more often now), i probably would have called the salad dinner and left it at that. but working in the kitchen alongside two other creative, confident, considerate cooks meant that while i was making my dish, other delicious things were simultaneously just happening. annabell even did the dishes! and for dessert, we watched pop videos on youtube...

love,
emily

1st cake of the fall

the silver lining to all of this chilly rain and gray skies (so relentless sometimes, you can feel the raindrops pelting against your very bones), is that it's finally time to turn the oven back on! the first few weeks of fall still prove to be too pleasant and breezy to have an appliance in the kitchen emitting hundreds of degrees of radiant heat. but now...now is just the perfect time to put on a jazz LP, all fuzzed out against the record player's needle, to make a late afternoon french press, and to dig up old baking recipes banished to the back of the pile.

our first cake of the fall was a truly collaborative effort. lauren whipped the cake up in minutes flat, and i improvised on the filling and the glaze. chocolate, cinnamon, apples, cinnamon, cider and rum - can you think of a dessert flavor profile more fitting for autumn?

Choco Cinnamon Cake w/ Apple Rum Filling & Black Pepper Cider Glaze
takes about 45 mins, 25 inactive
makes 2 round cakes, 2 cups of filling and 1/2 cup glaze
cake recipe adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton

ingredients for the cake:

2 cups +1-2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup regular cocoa (not dutch processed)
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt (scant)
2-2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 3/4 cup water
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil

ingredients for apple filling:

1 teaspoon vegan margarine
2 medium to large crisp apples, such as gala, sliced thinly
2 scant tablespoons brown sugar
2 big splashes dark rum or brandy

ingredients for cider glaze:

1 cup of apple cider
pinch of cinnamon
3 black peppercorns

- preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

- combine all the dry ingredients: sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt, and then stir in the sugar.

- combine all the wet ingredients.

- add the wet to dry and mix until just incorporated.

- pour the batter into two round pans, lined with parchment paper. pop 'em in the oven and set a timer for 23-25 minutes.

- while the cake is baking, make the filling: put the margarine into a cast iron pan over low to medium heat, and let it melt. add the apples and stir gently until they're softened and slightly browning, about 6 minutes. slightly turn up the flame, and add the brown sugar. let it get melt-y over the apples, maybe 2 minutes. turn the heat up even higher and add the liquor. it should sizzle loudly and caramelize onto the apples. stir gently and taste a piece of apple. does it taste awesome? if so, its done, so turn the heat off. cover the pan and let the apples sit in their stew til you're ready to fill the cake. if the apples do not taste awesome, add a bit more sugar and let it cook for another few minutes.

- the cakes should be done by right around this time. test with a toothpick or knife for done-ness. put them on a rack (still in the pan) to cool.

- put the cider in a non-stick sauce pan over a high flame; bring it to a boil. turn the flame down, add the cinnamon and black peppercorns, and let the cider reduce until it's about 1/2 a cup. it should be syrupy and glaze-y. if it sits for awhile before the cakes fully cool and thickens up too much, you can re-heat and thin it out with a bit of water or more cider. make sure to fish out the peppercorns!

- when the cakes have cooled enough to safely touch the pan, gently wiggle them out of the pan.

- unlike using frosting, you don't have to wait for the cakes to fully cool before adding the extras.
so set one cake on a plate, and spread the apple filling out across the top, making sure to save a few pieces for a garnish. put the 2nd cake on top, and press down very gently. then pour the cider glaze on top, and garnish with a few slices of the apple you saved. serve immediately. this cake will be good for up to 4 days if you keep it in a cake saver!


love,
emily

tortas sin carne

usually, the combining of two great food groups turns out all gross/wonky, prizing concept or "cleverness" over actual taste. baked ziti on a pizza? um...no. apple pie translated into a cocktail? NO. bacon flavored lip balm? vomit! i know lip balm isn't technically a food, but, well, it almost is.

well, the torta - basically taco + sandwich (2 of the holiest food groups in my book) - does not fall prey to this silly fate. i often see very delicious sounding but very meat-ful tortas on mexican menus around the city, and never a vegan, or even vegetarian option crosses my little plate. so psyched i was, when perusing the september issue of food & wine, to see that not only was there an entire article about interesting sandwiches, but a mexican torta was included! no matter how difficult, i was going to veganize that sucker...veganize it straight to hell.

this recipe was from the much loved rick bayless, from his new "street food"-centric restaurant in chicago, xoco, and he says it's meant to show people another side of mexico besides tacos. i accept yr challenge sir rick: BRING IT ON!

the recipe:
Mexican Tortas with Black Beans, Vegan Goat Cheese and Vegan Chorizo
adapted from Food & Wine magazine, Sept 2009 issue
makes 4 tortas

1 tsp vegetable oil for brushing the sammy rolls
1 order/0.5 pound of vegan chorizo (i made the TVP-based recipe from vegan with a vengeance)
1 15 oz. cans of drained, rinsed black beans
4 long hoagie rolls, i used portugese rolls from the supermarket - sooooo good
4 ounces vegan goat cheese (recipe to follow)
1 ripe avocado
shredded lettuce
lil tomatoes
pickled (or fresh if you're feeling wild) jalapenos
sprigs of fresh cilantro

vegan goat cheese (i made this up!):
1/2 cup almond or cashews, soaked in warm water for at least 15 minutes
1/3 block of mori nu firm tofu
6 fat green olives, pitted
olive oil
1 lemon
apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

- first, make the vegan cheese so you can let it chill for as long as possible. basically, throw the first three ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well mixed and thick. add a teaspoon or so of the olive oil, approx. 1/2 the lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest, and pulse some more. add a pinch of salt and pepper, and a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar if it's not sour enough for your taste. it should have a dense, chees-y texture. i didn't add anything else, since the tortas were going to have so much flavor, but if you're using this for another purpose, basil, sun dried tomatoes or black olives mixed in could be good. scrape out of the processor and into a small dish or ramekin. let it "set" in the fridge for as long as possible.

- if your chorizo is from another day, reheat it in a skillet. if you just made the chorizo, keep it warm over a low flame.

- add the black beans to the chorizo, and mash them with a potato masher until creamy. season with s&p, and cover to keep it warm.

- prep the sandwich fixins.


- cut the hoagie rolls in half, and pull out some of the bread from the inside to create a small cavity. brush the cut sides of each roll with vegetable oil and put the rolls, cut side down, on a skillet or griddle over a medium flame, and cook until toasted, about 2 minutes. turn and cook the tops for just a minute.


- spread the top of the hoagie roll with the gauxt cheese, and spread the bottoms with the delicious chorizo and black bean mixture.

- add the avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro and jalapenos.


served with a some chips and homemade roasted carrot salsa on the side:


party time! excellent!!

love,
emily

the other booch...er, boch

i just love squash. besides eating them raw, what can't you do with them? boil 'em, mash 'em, put 'em in a stew. the famed butternut, widely loved for its mellow, inoffensive flavor has sat proudly at the top of my list for quite some time. acorn squash, spaghetti squash, summer squash, pattypan squash, pumpkin -- they're all great in their own right, especially when prepared well, with plenty of salt, fat, and a touch of sweetness (maple syrup always shines here).

the other day, lauren brought a few small kabocha squashes back from her farm stand. i've heard nothing but good things about kabocha (from very, very trustworthy sources, no less). in fact, i once heard a local farmer scoff at the mention of acorn squash, replying, "i only eat kabocha squash." i figure you can't really argue with a farmer when it comes to matters of produce. you grow - you know.

so i was really excited about these kabocha (kabochi?), cute as can be:


i wanted to make a soup, and decided to go commando in the kitchen: no recipe! i made up one of my own that turned out really quite well, and i'm happy to share it here.

The Mighty Boch - dairy, soy and wheat free - holla!!

the ingredients, in order of use:

2 small to medium kabocha squashes, peeled and cut into rough quarters or sixths
2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed well, and cut in half lengthwise
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil (not extra virgin -- something with some body)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
big pinch of coarse sea salt
black pepper to taste
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cups water or diluted vegetable broth, plus more to thin soup if needed
black truffle oil (optional)

- preheat the oven to 425 F.

- bring some water to a boil, then pour on top of the walnuts. you want these to soak for as long as possible. if you're using a buillon cube to make veg broth, the boiling water can be used to get that started, too. set that all aside.

- pour the olive oil into a shallow dish. mix in the paprika, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper.

- brush the spicy olive oil mixture onto the squash, carrots and onion. place these all on a lightly oiled or silpat-ed baking sheet.

- roast the hell out of 'em! 30 - 45 minutes depending on how well you actually let the oven preheat. the veggies should be really, really tender, easily pierced with a fork, almost falling apart.

- drain the walnuts.

- once slightly cooled, add the roasted squash and veggies to a saucepan and add the water or broth and dump in the softened walnuts. bring everything to a boil, then bring it down to a simmer. let it simmer for 10 minutes.

- turn the heat off and let the mix cool down some.

- either working in batches in a food processor, or using your immersion blender, blast the whole mix into a silky golden soup. you may need to add some water to thin it out.

- really take your time with this step, to get the soup really smooth. the walnuts can add some grit, but you can work through this with patience, unrelenting blending. the walnuts also add a lovely richness and protein, so put in the extra elbow grease.

- finish with a tiny swirl of truffle oil, if you wish. believe the hype: this really takes it to the next level. also, salt and pepper to taste.

- voila! kabocha soup's on.


love,
emily

farmer's market rainbow

i often have to work on thursday nights, but this past thursday i didn't! so i took the opportunity to stop by the mid-week installment of the clark park farmer's market to re-up our produce drawer. we're getting to the part of the summer where the local produce is ridiculously beautiful, and i just couldn't help myself. this is what i came home with:


a produce rainbow! this spread included some more normal, though no less gorgeous, items (tomatoes & collards), but also some specials, too: a purple pepper, a patty pan squash, and a white eggplant! the white eggplant was so elegant and sleek. much like my late spring score post, the vegetables themselves were enough to get my brain juices flowing, and with wusthof wielded, i went to town.

first things first: get some almonds in the toaster oven to roast for a salsa romesco (inspired greatly by the one we sampled at the blue sage grille). 2nd at bat: crank the oven to 450F, thinly slice up the eggplant, squash and a red onion, coat in olive oil, and get 'em in there to roast. next task: chop the tomatoes, radishes, some cucumbers and the purple pepper, add some juices and spices, blend half the batch, and set in the fridge to chill for a gazpacho. getting going now: prep the collards for a nice steam.

then i kind of hit a roadblock: where is my protein in this meal? some toothy texture to chomp into? i've been trying to rely less on tofu and other meat substitues in cooking, and regardless, no such goods were hiding in the fridge. what i did find, in a quick dig, was a tupperware full of half cooked potatatoes that ryan had abadonded during our lunch cooking session the day before. also excavated was a container about half full of white beans. as if through a hazy fog (or was that just cold air billowing out of the fridge from leaving the door wide open during my space out?), i saw my plan unfolding. potato fritters!!

so i got to work on that (more below), and finished the romesco sauce. the veggies came out of the oven, beautifully browned and softened, and the greens were sprinkled with hot sauce. the plate plated, i was soon sitting in the backyard, bare feet propped up, digging into this plate and listening to the birds sing their sunset songs:

potato zucchini fritters with salsa romesco, confetti gazpacho, and roasted patty pan squash, white eggplant and onions with black bean crema on a bed of spicy collard greens

potato zucchini fritters (lauren called them cutlets)
makes about 12, takes about 40 minutes, including frying

- roughly chop up 2 potatoes (and kind'll do), and get them to a gentle boil in salted water. throw in a whole, peeled clove of garlic while you're at it.

- while the potatoes boil, roughly chop about 1/2 a medium zucchini and sautee gently in olive oil until browned and partly translucent. take them off to cool.

- now check on the potatoes. they should be pretty soft, so drain them and let them cool.

- then, in a food processor, blend up the cooked potatoes and zucchini, with about 3/4 cup white beans (i used some from a can. my new years resolution was a long time ago!).

- when all that is pulverized and mixed up, add a a teaspoon of sea salt, some black pepper, a few sprinkles of marjoram or rosemary, and some water or a few squeezes of lemon juice. pulse again. of course, you can add all kinds of other spices, vinegars, really anything. i wanted to keep the flavor simple, since they would be a bed for the romesco sauce, which is super spicy.

- finally, add some flour - or a combination of flour and vital wheat gluten. add a little bit at a time, pulsing between each addition, until the batter is less sticky and more doughy. there is no real science here, since i was making this up on the fly.

- in a non-stick or cast iron pan, add a nice layer of vegetable oil and let it get pretty hot. then drop scoops of the fritter batter and and fry over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes on each side.

- drain on a paper towel.

you know what i just realized? in the winter time, you could substitute sweet potatoes and it would be crazy good too! you could even dip them in maple syrup like healthy little pancakes. but you know what? i'm glad it's not winter.

love,
emily