Farfalle with golden beets, dandelion greens, and goat cheese

Golden beets are so pretty. And yummy. I found three enormous ones on sale the other day, so I roasted them and then decided what to do with them. The beet greens were looking a little wilty, and I had a bunch of dandelion greens that was starting to look gross, so I combined the two in this dish and added most of a log of goat cheese. Delish.

1 box farfalle (or other pasta shape)
2 large golden beets, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 bunch beet greens, chopped
1/2 bunch dandelion greens, chopped
1 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 log goat cheese
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic

Finely dice the shallots and garlic and saute gently in olive oil until the shallots are soft. Add the greens and cook until wilted. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Combine the cooked, drained pasta with a little of the pasta water with the greens, toasted pine nuts, and goat cheese. Stir until combined. Salt to taste.

Mint chocolate chip cookies

What an excellent way to use up mint! And the mint taste in these is pleasantly subtle.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup mint leaves
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups coarsely chopped dark chocolate

In the bowl of a mini food processor, combine mint and sugar. Process until mint is finely chopped. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, mint sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate pieces. Drop by two to three tablespoon-sized balls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for nine to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Kale and mint salad with spicy peanut dressing

There are only so many mint juleps you can drink, so now I have most of two bunches of mint to use up. Fortunately, that shouldn't be hard.

I used regular (not lacinato) kale in this, and left out the pomegranate molasses (didn't have any).

From Food52, reprinted below:

1 bunch (large) lacinato kale, chopped very small, almost minced
1 cup fresh mint, minced
1 cup walnuts, chopped
3 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons warm water
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

Toss the chopped kale, chopped mint and the walnuts together. Put the peanut butter, warm water, garlic, rice wine vinegar, pomegranate molasses, soy sauce, minced ginger, sesame oil and red chili flakes into a blender and whirl away at high speed until everything is smooth. Toss the dressing with the salad.

This makes an excellent wrap filling, as well.

1.  

North Cascades National Park, WA

We've had a stretch of epic weather here in Seattle--clear, bright, temperatures in the 70s every day. So when I have a day off, combined with such weather, I take advantage of it.

Yesterday we drove out to North Cascades National Park. It was a perfect day for a drive, and we ended up driving the long way around to loop back home. The Cascades are like the American Alps: rugged, snowy, piney, and largely undeveloped. Here are some of the many pictures:

Just as an aside, a close examination of the Washington state map on the drive home revealed that Washington is home to one Whiskey Dick Mountain.

Swear to God.

Citrus mint julep

Happy Derby Day, everyone! The day where everyone drinks mint juleps and wears big hats.

Well, I won't have any occasion to wear a big hat today, but I will have a julep and watch the Derby coverage on TV. There is of course the classic mint julep; but today I'm mixing it up a little and having a citrus mint julep.

Reprinted below:

3 oz good quality bourbon
1 ½ oz triple sec (I used Creole Shrubb)
¾ oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup or 1 tablespoon sugar
8 to 10 mint leaves (don’t be shy on the mint)

Combine sugar, lime juice and mint leaves in the bottom of a glass and muddle gently to dissolve sugar and release essential oils in the mint.

Add 2/3 cup of crushed ice. Pour bourbon and triple over ice and stir generously with a spoon and let rest a few moments.

It is important to stir generously and allow this drink rest for a few reasons:
1. This is a drink from South, designed for outdoor consumption, it’s supposed to be ICE cold.
2. This drink is pretty much straight alcohol (AKA: Boozy), dilution from the ice is crucial so that the other subtle flavors are not quashed by the bourbon.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Steel-cut oatmeal with fried egg and parmesan

I've written about steel-cut oats before. With dried fruit and a little milk or cream, a bowl of oatmeal is a glorious thing. But it took this post on Chaos in the Kitchen for me to realize that same bowl of oatmeal could be a savory meal, as well.

I made a batch of oats, and topped with a fried egg, freshly grated parmesan, and a little truffle salt. Amazing.

The Black Manhattan

For those of you who enjoy a bitter/boozy cocktail at times, like me, you'll find this intriguing.

A Manhattan made with an amaro in place of the vermouth.

An amaro is a bitter Italian digestif (Averna, Cynar, Fernet). Quoting from this Food and Wine article about them:

"Amaro is traditionally made by infusing grape brandy with a (usually secret) mix of herbs, flowers, aromatic bark, citrus peel and spices—a blend that can include anything from cardamom to elderberry flowers. Then it's sweetened with sugar syrup and aged, sometimes for years. It's silky, like a liqueur; bitter and sweet in varying degrees; aromatically complex; and, as far as I'm concerned, both delicious and fascinating."

Traditionally, they're served neat, maybe with ice, at the end of a meal. But they're fun in cocktails, too.  As I discovered when hubs and I stopped into a local bar for a celebratory drink. DH asked for a Manhattan, and we got into a discussion of Manhattans, and the bartender trotted this out: bourbon, Averna, and angostura bitters.

So I may have found another way to utilize my home supply of amari. I'm also going to try a rye version, with Cardamaro.