Meatballs, fruit and fish, oh my!

Where's that tanker load of clarified butter? 

Texas brags about how big things are there, but I found this lobster in the Florida Keys! The Caribbean or Spiny Lobster doesn't have the giant fighting claws of the cold water Maine Lobster. The Spiny is smart enough to hide in holes in the coral reef to prevent being eaten.

This exquisitely detailed giant metallic Spiny Lobster has been a tourist attraction in the Keys for decades. The story is that it was built some forty years ago, as a response to a bet, by an out of work carpenter. For the last 20 years or so it has occupied the parking lot of a typical Keysian tourist-trap shop -- you know the kind of place -- full of shells and knicknacks and chatchkies to take home and remind you of the sunburn, windburn and salt water burning your eyes that are the true memories of your trip!

 

Meatballs Part I

I caught an episode of a food program a week or so back that was dedicated to the variations in meatballs. And there is so much more to good meatballs than just ground meat rolled into spheres! An entire hour that praised meatballs from the size of marbles to 3" monsters. All beef (well, there may have been a passing mention of pork).

I do love meatballs, but Sally and I don't eat a lot of beef - or pork for that matter. Finding recipes for chicken or even fish meatballs was not an easy task. The first chicken meatball I discovered was for Tsukune. 

 

Tsukune - Japanese Chicken Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken

5 oz. medium firm Tofu

1 Red Bell Pepper

2 Green Onions

1 inch Ginger finger

1 Egg

Salt & Pepper

Drain the tofu for 15 minutes and then crumble. Dice the pepper and green onion, mince the ginger. Combine meat, pepper, and onion. Add the tofu and egg, and smoosh together to mix everything well. Form into balls. Bake or griddle or pan fry until GB&D. I baked mine in a silicon mini-muffin tin, for about 15 minutes, until they 'set.  I took them out of the muffin tin, basted them with teriyaki sauce and broiled them for about 5 minutes to dry them out and add a bit of brown. Serve with Teryaki dipping sauce. 

Sally suggested more garlic and less ginger, but balance the flavors to your own taste. Next time I'll add a bit of hoisin sauce to the mix for more flavor, and less tofu. The tofu made the meat mixture very 'wet' to work with.

Kaffir Lime Marmalade

Long known as the Kaffir Lime by food afficianados, the PC modern world prefers the Thai word makrut because kaffir has negative connotations in Africa where it was a perjorative word for the natives. The heck with that PC nonsense!  Limes don't have a thing to do with calling people names!  

As you can see, the fruit is half-way in size between a Persian lime and the tiny Key lime.  It has little juice and a lot of tiny seeds.  The aroma of a cut kaffir lime is very pungent but aromatic; not much like the aroma of Persian or Key limes.  The leaf of the kaffir lime is to Thai cuisine what the bay leaf is to French cuisine.  Here's a recipe I found for Kaffir Lime Marmalade:

4 Kaffir limes, enough for 2 tablespoons lime zest
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice

Zest the limes. Combine zest with sugar and water in a sauté pan. Cover the pan with wax paper cut to fit its width (apparently to prevent evaporation and enhance flavor concentration. Cook gently on low heat for 20 minutes, until the mix starts to lightly bubble. Add juice and let it cook for another 15 minutes, while stirring. Serve chilled.

That's what the original recipe said. I had three kaffir limes, not four. And I wanted to do this microwave style. So I minced the three limes (not enough bulk to go in the blender without getting lost) and put that in a glass measuring cup. Came to 3/4 cup. I added a 1/4 cup of other fresh-squeezed lime juice and 3/4 cup sugar. Stir, and microwave for 8 minutes.

I'll admit that I've always had trouble making lime marmalade. Seems like it tends to burn more readily than other citrus fruits or fruit combinations. And the skin bits don't soften as readily as other fruits. This time what happened is that when the marmalade set, I ended up with what could be called Lime Toffee! Really tasty and distinctly Kaffir Lime flavored, but stiff enough to cut with a knife!

Next time I'll try the original recipe!

Red Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Pitaya roja is the Spanish name of this original Mexican cactus fruit which has spread throughout Latin America, Hawaii and Asia. The white-fleshed variety is pitaya blanca. 

Both are members of the genus Hylocereus cactus family The many-seed-spotted meat of both varieties is relatively tasteless, with a slight sweetness. The seeds are like strawberry seeds, more or less. You don't really notice them. 

Last year I wrote about pitaya blanca. This time when we stopped in Homestead, "gateway to the Keys", the fruit vendors had lots of the roja variety and almost no blanca.

I scooped the fruit out of the two leathery shells and put it in the blender with a couple tablespoons of Saw Palmetto Honey we bought at the same fruit stand, plus a third cup of half & half, and gave the concoction a whirrr. I didn't want to overwhelm the subtle flavor with the acid of Greek yogurt. The resulting drink wasn't very thick, but it sure was tasty. The honey seemed to bring out something extra from the fruit.

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad 

with Honey Lime Dressing

I saw this on Facebook last week and it sounded really good, so I just had to try it. I substituted yellow tomatoes for red (Sally likes the less-acidic yellow tomatoes), and added diced red bell pepper to put the color back in the mix.

Salad:

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
2 ears of fresh sweet corn (you could substitute a cup of frozen kernals, thawed)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (this is needed, even if you hate cilantro)

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper

Remove husks from corn and grill (or broil) until starting to char and blacken. Cut the corn off the cob. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Put all the dressing ingredients in another bowl or large cup, and whisk to combine.

Combine the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, grilled corn and dressing and spices, mix gently so everything is evenly coated. A pinch of cayenne is more than enough; you may prefer chile powder or hot paprika. Be careful not to mash the avocado. 

Let the salad sit and chill for at least 10-15 minute so the flavors marry. I served it Sunday night for our light supper -- Tuna Melt and Salad, with Mamey Mousse for dessert.

The salad is really tasty. Next time I think I'll roast the red bell pepper too, for added flavor.  We both love the dressing, and I may make up a cup-sized batch for Sally's Chopped Salad.

One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish

In the last week or ten days we at fish almost every day, and tried a couple new kinds. We eat a lot of fish, but it tends to be the locally available grouper, cod, mahi-mahi, tilapia and occasionally catfish. When we can get it, we order the ugly, but oh so tasty Hogfish.  The long snout is used to root crustaceans out of the sand.  Hogfish are line caught or speared, not net caught, as they live on the reefs.

But last week, in Key Largo, there was a fish on the menu that we recognized the name of, but had never tasted -- Cobia. So I ordered a platter, broiled, when we were at the Key Largo Seafood Company. Nice flaky white fish, a little juicier than I'm accustomed to. Nice tasting, but a bit more fishy than mahi-mahi or grouper.  I'll try it again, perhaps pan-fried, the next time I see it on a menu.

When we got home I went to the local Megamart to re-stock the fridge, and my Seafood Guy said I should try a fish they've had in for a couple weeks, called Wolf Fish, which comes "fresh" (frozen only once) from Icelandic waters. They are apparently half way between an ordinary fish and an eel, living in crevasses in the rocky bottom.  Seafood Guy claimed that "it tastes like lobster", a claim also made for Monkfish. So I got a half pound and pan-poached it. Another mild and tasty fish! Doesn't taste like any kind of lobster I've ever eaten, but the texture is somewhat similar, I will say.   Another ugly but tasty fish!

Better Late Than...

...break my habit of a weekly post. There will be some food stuff here, I promise.

Sally and I spent our Birthday Adventure in the Florida Keys again this year.  Some folks think it's tropical here on the southwest Gulf Coast; but the Keys are TROPICAL with a twist.

It was HOT this year.  Well, maybe not so hot -- 92 or 94, but the humidity was 94-100 percent, and simply stepping outside was enough to make you sweat buckets.  But we had fun!

 On the way down, we stopped in the Everglades at Shark Valley, and took the two hour tram ride guided tour.  We saw (but didn't get any pix of) two Limpkin -- one of the rarer marsh birds.  The Limpkin has a unique crying call.  It's not legal to hunt them anymore, as they were so tasty that, back in the 1800s they were almost shot into extinction.  Not, I am not sharing my recipe for Roast Limpkin!

Also saw a number of gators in borrow ponds -- ponds created when the barely underlaying limestone was borrowed (mined) for road bed material.  The Glades are in a drought state this year.  Hundreds of square miles of high-and-dry sawgrass.  Bad grass fires, and a lot of the wildlife is hiding out on the various hammocks or shrub/tree islands where some water can be found.

Stayed two nights in Tavernier, south of Key Largo. We went kayaking in the mangroves at Robbie's in Islamorada; the same place we fed the tarpon last year.  It's a great place for a variety of water adventures.  BTW it's pronounced Iss-la-more-ada, not Aisle-a-more-ada.  Kayaking is a great way to experience 'backcountry' Florida.  Even if you're less than a mile from a major highway, you are isolated and remote, and can see all sorts of wildlife up close including sharks, rays, manatee, all sorts of herons and egrets, kites, frigate birds and other critters.

We ate (see I told you I'd write about food) at two great restaurants, Hogfish Grill, which we visited last year) and the newly re-opened Smuggler's Cove.  The Cove had THE BEST Yuca Fries we've ever had.   Yuca is a long 'arm sized' starchy tuber from the Caribbean which can be treated much like a potato.  Yucca  is a spikey leaved desert plant of the Southwest). 

Yuca, also called Cassava and Manioc.

Unlike the picture below, these Yuca Fries we had were lightly dusted with a seasoned flour (Evergladestm seasoning, I think).  Lightly deep fried in HOT oil (so the fries don't soak up much oil).  Lightly and fluffy, these are what the very best French Fries of Pomme Frits want to be when they grow up!

 

 Hogfish is one of our favorite eating fish -- white, mild (not fishy at all), slightly sweet, and oh so tasty.  We order it pretty much whenever we can.  Around Fort Myers it's often listed on menus, but seldom served -- Hogfish are individually line-caught, not netted, so commercial fishermen seldom harvest them.  For whatever reason, this year in the Keys, there was a LOT of hogfish available, and we indulged ourselves, first at the aptly named Hogfish Grill in Islamorada.  Fish is healthy eating, right....

Ugly, but tasty, the Hogfish is a type of wrasse, and pretty large, as you can see.  The long snout is used for rooting around in sand for it's favorite crustaceans to eat.  The snout and this behavior are what gave the fish its name.

From Tavernier, we drove down to Key West and spent another two days siteseeing things we missed last year.  Thing like the daily Sunset Festival at Mallory Square -- a long standing Key West tradition involving street performers, food vendors, booze and the sunset.   One of the performers we saw, The Crazy Cat Man, Sally remembered seeing there nearly 30 years ago.  He must be on his third or fourth generation of feline performers!  The Man is absolutely bonkers/bizarre,/nutty, but his cats are obviously well loved and cared for, and very talented performers.  A MUST SEE if you go to KW.   We had a wonderful seafood dinner at the Westin Bistro restaurant at Mallory Square and watched the sun sink in the West.

Gotta mention a couple other great eateries.  Sandy's Cafe is a sort of breakfast and lunch counter attached to a laundromat.  Open 24/7.  Great Cafe con Leche, and their Heuvos con Chorizo with beans and rice was a fabulous breakfast.  Cuban/Spanish/Latin chorizo is a dry-salami type sausage sliced for sandwiches, chopped to add to eggs and stews, etc.  Mexican chorizo is almost a condiment -- much spicier, and it falls apart the minute you start to cook it, adding flavor but hardly and substance to dishes.  I bought some Cuban Chorizo at a little market in Tavernier for sandwiches.  Wish I could find it here.

Another place we liked a lot was the French bistro called Banana Cafe, on Duval street.  Fabulous crepes and other French fare.  Our second night, after snorkeling, we had dinner at a new place called Red Fish, Blue Fish.  More of a bar restaurant they had a good selection of seafood dishes on their menu (as does every restaurant in KW except Five Guys Burger & Fries!!).

If you go to Key West be sure to get all the "coupon books" you can find and pay attention to them.  We had recommendations from our hostess to visit the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy, as well as Fury Water Adventures, for snorkling.  

Sally the Coupon Queen and birthday girl, found a BOGO coupon for the Butterfly place, and we really enjoyed this "voted #1 attraction" with butterflies, birds and more.  Upon leaving, Sally suggested we walk over a block to see how many people were gathered around the Mile Zero Marker.  So we turned right from the Conservancy, and right there was a kiosk advertising "Free Trip on your Birthday" with Fury Water Adventures!!!   

So we took the Sunset Snorkel and Rum Punch cruise that evening.  We went out about 6 miles, drinking icewater to stay hydrated, and tied to an anchor ball.  Snorkeled for about an hour.   Then up anchor and out with the rum punch!  Highly recommend this trip if you get down the KW.

 Parrot Fish

  Yellowtail Snapper

 Sargeant Majors

 This beautiful gaff-rigged ketch passed us just as the sun was getting ready to set.

 

We came here the next morning when there were only 3 people.  Visit before 9AM to avoid standing in line!

This is the End of the Road for today's blog post!   Back to my regular schedule next Monday.

Tamales & Reviews

 Short post this week.  Yesterday was my birthday and life's been a little hectic, so I haven't cooked much lately.

Cubano Tamales en Cazuela
If you love the taste of tamales, like I do, but hate the labor intensive process of making and wrapping and tying them, you're gonna love this recipe.  In the past I've made "tamales in a pot" by laying down a layer of masa dough on foil, then laying down filling in the center; and sliding this mass into a loaf pan, folding the top bits over, and baking.

This new recipe I discovered the other day looks even easier, and just as tasty.  It's sort of "stuffed polenta Cuban style", and looks like an award winner for the One Pot Meal challenge!

1 pound Pork Sirloin, minced (for Sally I will use chopped, cooked chicken)
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 roasted Red Bell Pepper, chopped fine
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil for frying
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen yellow corn 
 1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups masa harina
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon Chile powder
2 limes, juiced 
 salt and pepper to taste

Broil or grill the pepper until it starts to blacken; then dice it, black bits and all.   

Toss the pork, garlic and onion together in a bowl and stir to combine with the lime juice.  Fry the mixture a minute or two before adding the bell pepper and red wine.  Simmer until the onion is translucent.  Reserve with liquid.

Chop or grind the corn in a food processor so that you have a coarse mix, not just whole kernals.  Stir to combine with the masa, chile powder and chicken broth in a pot.  Add the meat mixture and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes until the mixture thickens significantly, but does not burn.  As one person said, "when it meets the Standing Spoon Test, you're ready to eat.

Ladle onto a plate or bowl, and garnish with pico de gallo or sofrito.

 Standing Spoon Test

My first way of making Tamal en Cazuela.  Here the tamal has been removed from the loaf pan and unwrapped, causing the crust to open up.



Reviews
As I said, I didn't cook anything special, or anything you hadn't seen before, over the weekend.  I did make salmon poached over OJ-infused courtbouillion one night; and Cajun Chicken & Vegetables another.   But I thought I'd tell you about two places we went to eat.

Norman Love Confections
Those of you around this area, and perhaps elsewhere will recognize the name.  Norman and his crew make some of the finest tasting, most beautiful chocolate creations on the planet.  Candies, chocolate sculptures that will take your breath away, and much more.   We can shop direct in several locations; the rest of you can mail-order from http://www.normanloveconfections.com/

Locally, they have also branched out into making superior gelato and similar frozen delights, as well as offering lunch crepes.   

We had to go out to their main location near the airport here, as Sally wanted to pick up some chocolates for her work-mate's birthday on Wednesday.  While we were there we had a pre-birthday lunch and gelato.  Sally got the Chicken Caesar crepe, and I opted for the Italian.  Both came with a nice bit of viniagrette pre-dressed greens.  Both crepes were very tasty, and you get the pleasure of watching the young lady behind the counter make the light airy 'pancake', and then fill it.  I found the Chicken Caesar to be the more filling of the two -- a better value for the money.  I liked the Italian Crepe, flavor-wise, but structurally it was just a couple slices of Boar's Head meats and cheeses wrapped in a pancake; where the Chicken Caesar was more substantial construction.  IMHO the Italian would be better filled with mini meatballs a splash of red gravy and some cheese.

I had the Coffee-Chocolate Chip gelato and the Raspberry.  Fabulous.  Sally had the Salted Caramel Chocolate and something else I don't recall.  Some of the best gelato anywhere!


Fancy's
For my birthday luncheon, Sally wanted us to try a new place in town -- Fancy's Southern Cafe.  Heck I like southern cooking, so off we went.

 

This is much more upscale than yo momma's Southern cooking.  

They have a nice menu, with some interestingly different appetizers like Deep Fried Cheese Grits, Boiled Peanuts, Deviled Eggs and Frog Legs as well as the obligatory Fried Okra and Fried Green Tomatoes.  Wanting dessert, we skipped the appetizers and went straight for the mains.  Sally had the Chicken Pot Pie,  I had Chicken and Waffles, and Sally's Mum had the Crabcakes.

BIG servings.  Mine was  three Belgian waffles and two breaded chicken cutlets, stacked Napoleon style and stuck with a steak knife to hold the stack together.  Their house "buttermilk maple syrup" sure was yummy.  I brought back leftovers and had them for breakfast this morning.

Mum had two or three nice sized crabcakes that were tasty, but she wasn't interested in the fried green tomato (which Sally and I split), or the undressed greens that came with (and no dressing offered).  She did like the Mac & Cheese side and the Spicy Coleslaw.

Sally's Chicken Pot Pie was "OK" she said, but the filling was very under-seasoned.  Their version is obviously made "restaurant style" in a large pot/pan and then ladled into a bowl before being topped with a square of puff pastry.  Nice presentation, though.  Her side of Sweet Potato Souffle was pretty tasty, but the green beans suffered from the traditional Southern technique of boiling all vegetables into limp and again under-seasoned submission.

For dessert we had a nice large serving of very tasty Key Lime Pie tastefully garnished with decorative dollops of whipped cream.  

 



 

Italian, Anglo-Greek and Mexican fare

Vegetable Timbale

A timbale is a sort of "deep dish" quiche. If it's a really deep dish, say 8" or more -- and features a pastry crust overall -- the Italians call it a "timpano". Both names refer to a drum, describing (more or less) the container. In the old country, the recipe for a timpano was often a family secret, and contained assorted meats and sausages, vegetables, pasta, rice, and spices. This version is a simpler, vegetarian, no crust version.

8 oz Carrots, shredded

10 oz pkg Broccoli crowns

10 oz pkg Cauliflower crowns

1 Onion, diced

1 Zucchini, sliced into rounds

3/4 cup shredded Cheese

1 cup Half & Half

1/3 cup Breadcrumbs

7 Eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp Sage

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Oregano

In a 10" springform pan sprayed with non-stick, begin layering the vegetables. I started with the carrots, then the cauliflower, about half the onion, the broccoli, and the rest of the onion. On top I added the rounds of zucchini.   Top with the cheese and breadcrumbs (I used panko).

Mix together the eggs, half & half and spices, stirring well to combine. Pour the egg mixture over the top of everything. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and put it in a pre-heated 400F oven for 1 hour. Allow to set for at least 20 minutes before slicing to serve.

Split Peas with Honeyed Eggplant

Sounds strange, doesn't it?  This is a sort of Anglo-Greek dish inspired by something I saw on the internet. The internet version had you cutting the eggplant into cubes and cooking it nearly into mush.  We both agree you want the eggplant to have some "tooth" -- don't overcook it.  The slight saltiness of the split peas counters the sweetness of the honey. Very tasty. This one went on Sally's "make it again" list.

for the Pease Porridge:

1 cup Green Split Peas

1/4 cup diced onion

1 large clove garlic

2 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups water

--------------------------

for the eggplant:

1 large or two small Eggplant

1/2 tsp Cavender's tm Greek seasoning

Olive oil from drizzling

Honey for drizzling

Cook the split peas, onion and garlic in the broth/water, about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain for at least half an hour to remove as much liquid as you can. Reserve. In England this would be called Pease Porridge -- as in the nursery rhyme "Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old."  

Slice the eggplant into 3/4" thick rounds, drizzle with olive oil and dust with the Greek seasoning. Actually I used a great extra-virgin avocado oil that I'd been given. Broil eggplant for about 5 minutes per side until nice and golden but not mushy. Meanwhile, re-heat the Pease Porridge in the microwave.

Plate the eggplant and drizzle with a bit of your favorite varietal honey. I used Avocado Flower honey from a local beekeeper. Top the eggplant with a nice layer of Pease Porridge.

   Even with the honey, this is a good candidate for Sally's 400 calorie or less dinner.

Chiles en Nogada

A classic dish from the Puebla region of Mexico. An interestingly different, and tasty, variation on Chiles Rellano (stuffed chiles).   This just goes to show you that not everything in Mexico is hot or hotter!    Nogada is the Spanish word for Walnut.

You can use Cubanelles, Anchos, Anaheims or New Mexico chiles depending on what's available and what you like, heat-wise.  I would not do this with ordinary green bell peppers though, it would be too sweet.

Makes 4 stuffed Cubanelle size peppers, two servings.

for the stuffing:

1 cup chopped, cooked Pork Roast

4 Cubanelle chiles 

1/2 cup diced Onion

1/4 cup Raisins

1/4 cup Dried Cranberries or Craisins

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1/4 cup Green Chile Tomatillo Sauce

1/ Tbsp Cumin

 1/2 cup Water

1-2 Tbsp Masa Harina for thickening

-------------------------

for the Nogada:

Mexican Crema

1/4 cup Walnuts

Simmer the stuffing ingredients, except for the masa, for 15-20 minutes on medium-low, to marry the flavors.  Add a tablespoon or so of masa and stir to thicken.  Reserve.

While the stuffing is simmering, prepare the chiles.  Cut of the stem and and remove the veins and seeds.  If you're in a hurry, just microwave the peppers until soft.  For the best flavor, broil the pepper for a few minutes on each side, until they start to char.  

To make the nogada, grind the walnuts, but only enough so you have some dust and some chunks.  Combine with the crema and stir.  Don't add so many nuts that the nogada is stiff.

Stuff the cooked peppers with the meat/fruit mix.  Plate the stuffed peppers and top with a couple spoonfuls of the nogada crema.

Pickle Update

Well the pickles were a success.  The brine recipe is just right -- not too salty, not too sweet.  The Moringa pods pickled nicely, but you still don't want to use pods thicker than a pencil.  I'm going to strip a bunch of small pods and make a jar of  Moringa pickles.   Yum.

Vietnamese Pickles, Homegrown Goodies, 400 Calorie Dinner and more

Lady Sally wants me to start marking items in the blog that make great 400 Calorie Dinners or Entrees. This week check out the Falafel Burgers. 

 I have for years, used the online site Nutrition Data, to calculate the nutritional values of recipes: http://nutritiondata.self.com 
 

Vietnamese Pickles

I was reminded of these the other day, and how tasty they are. Not the same as pickled cucumbers at all. Simple to make too. Just do up a couple jars at a time. The amount of pickling liquid here will make 3 pints of pickles.

9" to 10" length of 2-3" diameter Daikon, scrubbed

1/2 cup or so of julienned Carrots

4 cups hot water (tap hot, not boiling)

3 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tbsp Kosher Salt (less if you use table salt)

6 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Cut the daikon into thin disks and then slice into a nice julienne cut. You can do the same with some large carrots, or buy a bag of pre-cut julienne carrots (which I did for other purposes).

In another bowl mix the water, vinegar, sugar and salt, and stir until everything dissolves.

Take three pint jars and fill them with the daikon/carrot mix. Pour the liquid overall and screw on the tops. Refrigerate, and wait at least 3 days before consuming. Will last in the fridge at least a month or so.

The same brine solution can also be used with any cut veggies -- onion slices, green or wax beans, slices of bell pepper, okra, baby corn,cauliflower, etc. 

Falafel Burgers

Well, I created a much better falafel this time. The recipe makes 3 giant patties 4" in diameter and over 3/4" thick. Half a patty would fill half a pita, as a sandwich. Or make a bunch of mini patties as an hors d'oeuvre/snack.

1-1/2 cup Garbanzo Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/3 cup Diced Onion

1/3 cup minced Parsley

3 large cloves of Garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp ground Coriander

1-1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1 Egg, beaten

1 Tbsp Lemon zest (about half a lemon worth)

1/3 cup Panko

3/4 cup hot but not boiling water

Mix the flour, salt, soda and spices. Add the onion, zest and parsley, and mix again. Stir in the water and egg to form a wet dough, then stir in the panko to tighten things up so it's not too sticky when you form the patties. Pan fry in some EVOO until GB&D. Serve with hummus or tomato slices or lemony Greek yogurt or any number of other goodies.

One of these patties is about 270 calories, making a great tasting, very filling entree for an Under 400 Calorie Dinner.

Homegrown Pigeon Peas

We planted several bushes of pigeon peas around Sally's yard last summer and got a handful of seeds by fall. Saved those in the fridge, and we got a second flowering and a ton more pods this spring. I let thosepods dry on the bushes, then cracked the peas from the pods (much easier than shelling green peas from soft pods, believe me!)   Then I soaked the dried peas overnight in plain water to plump them up, and cooked them in water for about 30 minutes until tender. Dusted them with a little Arhar Dal Indian spice blend after they cooked and drained. These were the side dish for my Falafel Burgers.  Yuuummm!

Moringa Pods

We planted a Moringa a year ago and have been harvesting the leaves to make healthy tea.  I have plenty for sale if anyone is interested.

We finally go some pods on, this spring, and I'm harvesting them now, as well. Almost everything on the tree is edible.

When boiled/steamed like green beans, the slender (pencil sized or smaller) pods are very tasty, with overtones of artichoke. Simply cut the 12-16" long pods into 1-2" lengths and cook.

The large pods, up to 1/4" diameter or so, can also be boiled/steamed, but their outer skin is harder. These are best eaten like artichoke leaves - after cooking, split the pod pieces lengthwise, bite down, and rake the goodness in with your teeth.   The taste a bit like asparagus.

I'm also experimenting with pickling the Moringa pods using the Vietnamese Pickle recipe. Will let you know next week how that turns out.

Mom's Mac & Cheese 

I don't make this very often - otherwise I'd weigh 300 lbs!  But Sally needed a potluck dish for work, so I made a large batch and baked it in two containers.  This is not your usual "cheese soup with macaroni" kind of Mac & Cheese!

1 lb box Elb0w Macaroni

1 lb Colby Cheese (or a mild Cheddar)

1/4 cup shredded Colby or Cheddar for topping

Black Pepper to Taste

1 pint Whole Milk

Cook the macaroni according to package directions for 'firm'.  While that's going on cut the block cheese into cubes.

Put about an inch deep layer of macaroni in a 10" loaf pan.  Dust with a little black pepper.  Add  about half the cubed cheese.  Add a second layer of macaroni and top again with cubes of cheese and the shredded cheese.  Pour about 1 cup of milk overall.  Bake at 375F for 45 minutes.  Let it rest for 20 minutes or more so the cheesy crust hardens.   Slice and serve.

I never get this quite right.  As you can see, I've either added too much milk, or not cooked it long enough or hot enough.  The milk is supposed to cook up through the first cheese layer, which it did, but not all of it got absorbed.  Guess I'll have to try again.