Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Hazelnuts, Continued

In my last post, I failed to mention that Henry also loves beets. Again, not my favorite, but when we were up in North Georgia recently and stumbled upon some at a local farmstand, I caved and bought a few.  Anything for Henry, right?

Of course, since I was in the middle of testing hazelnut recipes, the challenge then became how to pair them with beets.  Well, why not?  A beet salad with goat cheese and candied walnuts is certainly not unheard of.

But the idea of candied hazelnuts did not excite me.  Nor did yet another variation on a beet and goat cheese salad.  I perused a few cookbooks.  Nothing.

Then I picked up my copy of "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook" by Judy Rodgers.  (This book was published in 2002 and it is a treasure.  If you can get your hands on it, I would strongly advise adding it to your library).  I came across her recipe for Watercress Salad with Beets and Walnut-Mascarpone Crostini.  Hmmm....

I replaced the watercress with arugula (because that's what I had on hand and I couldn't find watercress anyway) and the walnuts with hazelnuts.  Here is the delicious result:



ROASTED BEETS WITH ARUGULA AND HAZELNUT-MASCARPONE CROSTINI
(adapted from "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook" by Judy Rodgers)

For the beets:
1 lb. whole, fresh beets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups arugula leaves, washed and dried

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Scrub beets well and trim both ends. Place in a baking dish and add enough water to come up to ¼-inch. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until beets are tender, about 35 – 45 minutes, depending upon size of beets. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer or cake tester into the center of a beet. Remove from oven and leave covered for about 5 minutes to finish cooking. Let cool briefly until they are easily handled.


Rub or peel skins from beets (it’s a good idea to wear plastic gloves if you have them so your hands won’t turn purple). Trim ends again and slice beets into wedges. Place in a bowl and dress with salt and pepper, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Let marinate 10 minutes, then add arugula. Toss gently and taste to adjust seasoning. Place in serving bowls or plates and garnish with the crostini.

For the crostini:
8 small baguette slices, toasted
½ cup mascarpone cheese
½ cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

Spread each bread slice with mascarpone and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

Serves 4

As you know, I am a salt freak and it is a rare day when I don't use it.  My instinct was to sprinkle a little over the crostini but I resisted the impulse and I was right.  The richness of the mascarpone paired with the sweetness and crunchiness of the hazelnuts was subtle and perfect - and it would have been ruined by the added salt.  Trust me on this one!

TUNA CUTLETS


Ingredients:
Tuna fish ..... 1 can (200 gms) - you may fresh steamed fish too.
Potatoes ....... 3-4 (boiled and mashed)
Bread crumbs .. 3-4 tbsps.
Garam masala .. 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder .... 1/4 tsp.
Green chillies ... 2 (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves ..handful (finely chopped)
Caraway seeds/kummel seeds ..... 1 tsp.
Salt .................. to taste
Oil ..................
Method:

1. Mix the tuna, boiled potato, bread crumbs and all the other ingredients.( if using fresh fish, steam it and cool it before mixing)
2. Make cutlets in any shape, round or oval and sprinkle breadcrumbs on them.
3. Fry the cutlets and serve hot.

Wisdom Wednesday



No matter how steep the mountain - the Lord is going to climb
          it with you.
                                                                             - Helen Steiner Rice

OT Tip - Awesome Website

I know it has been a while since I have done a OT Tip, life has just gotten in the way of me blogging lately. However, I do want to get better with it and my Occupational Therapy Assistant student shared an awesome website for your kids! It is called TLS Books. It is a website of free printable handouts for preschool through 5th grade. They also have special pages for Holidays, spelling, handwriting and coloring!

I have yet to fully look around, but I'm sure I will find lots of more great things! I hope you enjoy this site as much as I am so far!!


Fesenjan (Pomegranate Walnut and Onion Sauce with Chicken)

 


Fesenjan.  Sounds like a city in Persia, and indeed the word is Persian in origin.  Exotic and mystical are words that come to my mind when thinking about Persia.  Of course,we have our Western view of Persia through the eyes of the Greeks, and our modern differences with the government of the country we call Iran, but what is Persian food really?  A of pile pomegranates at the store made me find out.  Food can grow our senses and experiences.  It can also help us learn about and understand a culture and the place its people live.  Start with the pomegranate.  These and other tree based fruits such as plums, prunes, apricots and raisins form an integral part of Persian cuisine.  One can imagine the Zagros Mountains of western Iran sheltering not only ancient imperial Persian cities, but also moderate climates home to such bounty.  Meat of course would be part of any diet in a region like this, and fillers such as rice and spices such as saffron and cinnamon readily available. 

So, my journey into learning about such cuisine began with a two-for-one sale at the local market, something that would make any Persian stall owner proud.  My search for pomegranate menus revealed this recipe from the Gourmet cookbook.  It combines this famous fruit with another treasure of ancient Persians, the walnut.  Together, this meal was meant for royalty and today this recipe is favored on special occasions.  Of course, at home where every man (or woman) is king, and every day an opportunity to feel special through cooking, such a recipe is an easy selection.  One thing I did was to take the khoresht out of the fesenjan.  Khoresht is a name for stew, and many preparations of fesenjan will show this as a stew with chunks of meat.  For whatever reason, I felt like making this recipe as a sauce topping a whole chicken breast, as the picture shows.  I did braise the meat in the sauce, but then I served it as a chicken breast with the sauce on top.  East meets West you could say.  Either way, the flavors, aromas and thoughts of Persia are what are important.  That, and the adventures even your local supermarket can inspire.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
2 chicken breasts
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups coarsely ground walnuts
1 pomegranate, quartered, with seeds retained whole from one quarter and the remaining quarters squeezed for their juice
½ cup tomato sauce
1 ½ cups chicken stock
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp molasses
1 cup cooked rice
    
Directions:
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and then brown the chicken on both sides.  Remove the chicken.  Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the onions until golden and softened.  Stir in the cinnamon and cook for an additional minute.  Stir in the walnuts and cook another minute.  Stir in the pomegranate juice and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any bits.  Add the tomato sauce, broth, lemon juice, salt, pepper, molasses, and pomegranate seeds.  Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat and return the chicken.  Cook the mixture for an additional 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  If a stew–like dish is desired, break up the chicken into pieces and simmer down to the desired stew consistency.  If a sauce is desired, retain the chicken breasts whole, remove, and cook down the sauce to the desire sauce consistency.  Serve with rice.