Turkey and black bean enchiladas

What to do with a package of ground turkey? ($2.99, on sale!)

I considered turkey burgers, but didn't have any burger buns. Then I thought about turkey meatloaf, but I wasn't feeling it. So I decided to go for turkey and black bean enchiladas.

From skinnytaste.com:

1 lb ground turkey
15.5 can black beans, drained
4.5 oz can chopped green chiles (I used two fresh jalapenos, chopped)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
salt
8 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

For the Enchilada Sauce:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup chicken broth
kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, sauté garlic. Add chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

In a large skillet brown the turkey and season with salt. When the turkey is browned,  add onion, garlic, black beans, cilantro, green chiles, diced tomatoes, cumin and chili powder. Mix well and simmer on low, covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 1/2 cup turkey mixture into each tortilla and roll it. Place on 9x13 glass baking dish seam side down. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with low fat sour cream, cilantro or scallions if you wish.

Spinach dal

This is the perfect way to use up a big plastic box of spinach about to go bad, and half a bag of lentils.

I doubled the recipe, used green lentils, fresh spinach (well, fresh-ish), and no chiles.

From VeggieBelly:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 green chiles, slit (optional)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 plum tomato, chopped
1 cup yellow lentils
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon heavy cream
1 cup fresh, washed, baby spinach leaves or red choy leaves, packed tightly

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the green chile if using, and stir 30 seconds. Then add onion, garlic, and tomato. Stir on medium heat till they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and turmeric and stir 2 more minutes.

Pour 3 cups water and add salt to the lentils. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on the saucepan and cook till lentils are done, about 15 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, lightly mash the dal, so that the tomatoes and onion pieces are mashed into the lentils. Add the heavy cream and spinach leaves. Stir the spinach leaves into the dal till they wilt, about 1 minutes. Add more water to the dal, if needed.

Serve hot with rice, rotis or bread.

Caprese with bresaola

Even though I had all the ingredients for this--against all odds--it never occurred to me to make this until I had most of the stuff out on the counter for a completely different purpose.

Normally, I never have out-of-season tomatoes around. But yesterday, after a brief Costco run (where I procured both the bresaola and mozzarella, in addition to eggs and milk and cream and other unsexy things), I ran by the little produce shop near my apartment building. You know, the one where I got 6 peppers for $1? I got six peppers for $1, again, plus a bag of six soft tomatoes for $1, plus a bunch of other stuff (leeks, mustard greens, beets, apples, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and basil).

The tomatoes aren't great--they're soft and virtually tasteless, since they're out-of-season. I got them for a curry, and then realized, hey! I have tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil! I can make caprese salad for dinner! And then, hey! I also have bresaola! I'll throw that into the mix!

Bresaola is dried cured beef, sliced thin. Prosciutto would work well, too.

Stack in this order: tomato slice, piece of bresaola, mozzarella slice, large basil leaf. Drizzle good olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top, and add a bit of good salt and pepper.

Like I said, the tomatoes weren't great. But everything else was delicious.

Eggs baked in tomato sauce with feta

This makes a hearty breakfast or dinner, and is especially lovely with some fresh-baked crusty bread.

Simply dump some tomato sauce into a skillet, enough to come about an inch up the sides, and get it simmering over medium heat. Make four wells in it, and crack four eggs in. Cook gently until the whites are opaque and the yolks are as set as you like them. Scoop out with sauce, over bread, and crumble feta cheese on top.

Baked rigatoni with eggplant, chard and mushrooms

Hey, look! I cooked something!

It's been over a month since I cooked anything (Christmas Day, to be exact). In that time, I've been eating a lot of other people's cooking and road food. Also some nice meals out, but probably too many.

To avoid spending unnecessary money on both road food and eating out, I wanted to get my kitchen operational as quickly as possible. Step 1: unpack. Step 2: stock the pantry. I started at Costco, and finished with a couple of trips to local grocery chains. I've discovered that some things are weirdly cheap (eggs are $1 a dozen, eggplants are $1 each) and some things are weirdly expensive (booze has a 35% tax! Can you believe it?).

The pantry is about 85% there, but it's enough to get started. First I made chili with ground pork, then I made a big batch of tomato sauce, then I made some fudge, and now I'm making bread.

For dinner last night, I made baked rigatoni with eggplant, chard, and mushrooms. It's a variation on a theme, but a delicious one.

1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped (I used one large shallot)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small package of mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch chard, loosely chopped
3-4 cups tomato sauce
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat some olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add the eggplant pieces in one comfortable layer (you may need to do more than one batch) and cook until golden brown. Set aside in a large bowl. Cook the mushrooms next in the same skillet. Add to the eggplant. Saute the onion and garlic next, and add that to the eggplant. Cook the chard just long enough so that it's wilted, and add that to the eggplant as well.

Cook the rigatoni until still slightly firm. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add both to the eggplant, along with the tomato sauce, basil and any seasonings,  and the mozzarella. Mix well, and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with parmesan and pepper, and bake at 450 until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve immediately.

All-purpose tomato sauce

I've updated my tomato sauce recipe a bit. There are a few variations; with meat or without; with carrots and celery or without. (With carrots and celery is better, but I've made it without before, when I was out of both, and I just increased the onion, garlic and seasonings a bit.) I've included the full version below. Obviously you can leave the meat out if you want.

4 28-oz cans of whole tomatoes
1 big onion, diced
5-6 big cloves of garlic, minced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
4 links of Italian sausage (2 hot, 2 sweet)
Olive oil
Seasonings: bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

If using the sausage, squeeze it out of the casings and brown it in a little olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Saute until softened. Add the tomatoes with juice and seasonings. Cook on low for a couple of hours, until fragrant and delicious. Season to taste.

Let the sauce cool, and then puree it in your food processor. (That way you get the better flavor of the whole tomatoes, without big weird chunks of tomato.)

At this point I usually divide the pureed sauce into various containers, and freeze most of them. That way I can always pull a container out of the freezer, and have a steady supply of tomato sauce.

This can be used as spaghetti sauce, soup flavoring, or used in any recipe that calls for either canned tomatoes or tomato sauce.

Green tomato soup

It's that time of year again: green tomato season. I ripped all my dead tomato plants up, and saved the unripened green tomatoes. They were cherry tomatoes, so I couldn't make fried green tomatoes: I made soup instead.

2 tablespoons butter
4 to 6 ounces country ham or bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
8 medium green tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium red tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and stem removed, minced
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
dash Tabasco sauce, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add ham or bacon, onion, and garlic. Sauté, stirring, until onion is tender. Add chicken broth, chopped green and red tomatoes, and minced jalapeno pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, pulse in a blender or food processor until almost smooth. Pour back into the saucepan and add celery salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper and Tabasco sauce, as desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Lentil salad with zucchini, tomatoes and arugula

From the LA Times:

1/4 pound zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 cup lentils
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup torn arugula leaves
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Place the diced zucchini in a colander and sprinkle liberally with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat evenly and set aside to drain until the zucchini has begun to soften (the cut edges will appear slightly rounded), about 30 minutes. Rinse well under running water and pat dry with a tea towel.

Meanwhile, rinse the lentils under running water and add them to a large pot of rapidly boiling, liberally salted water. Return to a simmer and cook until they are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the lentils, rinse under running water to stop the cooking, and turn them out into a tea towel to dry and finish cooling.

Stir the lentils, chives and garlic together in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with with one-half teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper, or to taste. The mixture should be highly seasoned.

Stir in the zucchini, cherry tomatoes and lemon juice. Gently fold in arugula leaves. Add just enough olive oil to barely moisten the arugula (you may not need to add any). Stir in the pine nuts and serve at room temperature.

Egg and pesto stuffed tomatoes

I'm back from a mini-vacation to Montreal; I'll get a post up all about it soon!

In the meantime, I'm fixing quick and easy dishes using what's already in the fridge. In this case, egg and pesto stuffed tomatoes.

Slice the top off each tomatoes, and a sliver from the bottom, so that the tomato will stand upright. Scoop out the inside. Place a big spoonful of pesto inside each one, and crack an egg in. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or so.

Roasted tomato, egg, melty pesto. What could be better?

Guacamole

You know you want some.

3 avocados
1 lime
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 jalapeno, minced
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
Fresh cilantro to taste
Salt

Peel and pit the avocados, and mash together with the other ingredients. Salt to taste.

Spicy tomato hummus

Another pool party hit, and perfect with veggie sticks.

This hummus, with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 6-8 canned tomatoes added. Puree and adjust seasonings.

Orzo pasta salad with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and pine nuts

This is a great, quick pasta salad. The nice thing about pasta salad this time of year is that you can eat it cold. Bonus: this one isn't full of mayo and heavy.

1 box orzo, cooked and drained
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 ears of corn, with the corn cut off
2 cucumbers, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
A handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
Olive oil
Tarragon vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together; combine with olive oil and vinegar until the taste/consistency is what you like. Season with salt and pepper.

Ratatouille

I've made ratatouille salad before, and ratatouille pizza, but here comes the real thing!

Some ex-co-workers of my husband's are leaving town, headed for a new job, and they graciously donated their last garden haul to us. Several nice zucchini, a bag of onions, a few pantry odds and ends. Combined with the eggplant currently in my fridge (bought on sale) and the jar of home-canned tomatoes from my mom,  all these things will make a really nice ratatouille.

I'm using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, sans red pepper, since I don't have one. I'll probably serve it over rice, maybe quinoa.

Zucchini-tomato verrines

A verrine is a salad in a glass--essentially a vegetable parfait. This recipe is from Food & Wine, reprinted below. It's a really delicious way to eat zucchini and tomatoes.

2 tablespoons pine nuts
4 medium tomatoes-peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced zucchini
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of ground cumin
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil, plus small basil leaves for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 ounce)
3 very thin slices of prosciutto, cut in half

In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderately low heat until golden, about 4 minutes. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the salad into 6 small glasses or jars.

In a medium bowl, mix the mascarpone with the 2 egg yolks and grated parmigiano cheese. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold the beaten whites into the mascarpone until no streaks remain. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mascarpone cream into each glass over the zucchini salad. Cover each glass with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the slices of prosciutto over moderately low heat, turning once, until browned and just crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the prosciutto to a paper towel-lined plate.

Sprinkle the pine nuts over the mascarpone cream, top each verrine with a prosciutto crisp and a few basil leaves and serve.

Peach and tomato gazpacho

I spent this last week in Virginia, visiting family and friends--and most importantly, catching up on my sleeping and eating.

And cooking. Friday night I turned an array of vegetables from my mom's garden, plus the contents of one meat freezer, into dinner for some close friends. This peach and tomato gazpacho kicked off the dinner, topped with fresh lavender, squash blossoms, and fennel pollen.

5 large peaches, peeled and quartered
3 large tomatoes (or many cherry tomatoes), chopped
1/2 medium sweet onion (I used a leek), chopped
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup diced, peeled and seeded cucumber
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
chives

Puree 4 of the peaches and 2/3 of the tomatoes with the onion and vinegar in a food processor. Chop the remaining peach and tomato and add to the puree. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine the cucumber with the yogurt and chives. Cover and chill.

To serve, ladle the gazpacho into bowls, and top with a spoonful of cucumber mixture and more chives.

Fresh tomato and caper salad

2 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon (optional)
2 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Toss the veggies and capers together. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and toss again. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Chicken and sausage with olive and anchovy sauce

1 1/2 lbs sweet or hot Italian sausage
3 lbs chicken, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
8 flat anchovy fillets
1/2 cup black olives
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Chop sausage and brown; drain. Brown chicken with olive oil. Add to sausage. Boil and simmer celery in water and salt for 5 minutes; remove celery and reserve liquid. To the fat in skillet (from browning sausage and chicken), add onion and mushroom. Add the rest, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and sausage back in, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Use celery liquid if it starts to dry out.

French bread pizza

You wouldn't know yesterday was Day 1 of $0 grocery spending. We ate very well, thanks primarily to work leftovers.

French bread pizza with prosciutto for lunch, then crab cakes with fava beans and rhubarb tarts for dinner. All with ingredients that I scavenged from work.

I'll start with the French bread pizza. I've talked about getting free stale bread from work before, and usually it's all rolls. But sometimes there are long, skinny baguettes as well, that we serve with the cheese plate. I took one of those baguettes, along with some rolls, and cut it in half both ways. (Down the middle, then across, so I had four long, skinny halves.)

On each piece of bread, I layered a thin smear of ricotta, a smear of tomato sauce, and a few thin slices of prosciutto. In the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or so, just until the prosciutto starts to turn up at the ends.

An excellent use of both stale bread and ricotta that was about to go bad.

Spinach and fresh mozzarella lasagna

It's the last lasagna of the season, folks. Using the first of the spring spinach!

Lasagna is another great way to use up random ends of stuff. Veggies and cheese lend themselves particularly well. I use no-boil noodles, this tomato sauce, and a ricotta mixture made up of ricotta, an egg or two, a splash of milk, and some pesto.

I've also made spinach and red pepper lasagna, sweet potato and red pepper lasagna, beet lasagna, chard lasagna, and butternut squash lasagna. But I think this one is especially tasty, as the spinach is really fresh, and the fresh mozzarella gets ooey-gooey.

You can use this lasagna  recipe as a template. Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta mix, slabs of fresh mozzarella (3-5 per layer), handfuls of fresh spinach to cover, parmesan cheese, in that order. Continue until you run out of something (noodles, sauce, an ingredient, or room in your lasagna pan). Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Orzo with feta, tomato sauce, and spinach

This is one of my standard recipe templates; I've written about a couple of different variations on this theme, here and here. Orzo (rice-shaped pasta) + feta cheese + some kind of tomato sauce + vegetable, baked. It makes a yummy cheesy pasta casserole type thing. I've also done it with shrimp, but since shrimp tends to be expensive, I usually leave that out.

1 box of orzo, cooked and drained
2-3 cups of tomato sauce (depending on how saucy you want it)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, with excess water squeezed out (a box of frozen peas or green beans also works well)
1 block of feta cheese, broken into crumbles

Mix everything together in a bowl and dump into a large casserole dish. Cover with more crumbled feta, and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.