Mediterranean Brown Rice & Vegetable Bake

I flagged this recipe some time ago as one to try, and if good, I would add it to this blog.  In the meantime, my sister and her husband decided to become vegetarians. No meat, fish, fowl or anything that has a mother. Only plant- based foods.  Wow, as an Italian American family where food has played a very central role throughout our lives, that's hardcore.

Given the health benefits vegan-ism brings, my husband and I are contemplating doing the same - well perhaps not so drastic, but at least eliminating meat and foul flesh from our diets. As a result, this recipe jumped to the top of the pile of new recipes to try.  The fact that it contains no meat and is suitable as an entree, in my mind, made it a pretty good vegetarian option.  A closer look, however, reveals it still contains some cheese and eggs -- no no's for true vegans. 

The recipe comes from an ad in Cooking Light magazine for Mahatma brand brown rice. I liked the fact that it is chock full of vegetables, including sun-dried tomatoes, and used ricotta cheese to keep it moist and tender.  To my delight, it is simply delicious, full of flavor and retains a rather substantial texture to consider as a substitute as an entree.

The ad shows it shaped as a loaf, suggesting it could be an alternative to a meat loaf. Actually, it can.  When cold, it firms up nicely so it can be sliced and made into a delicious meat-free sandwich. 

I would definitely make it again. To satisfy my sister's vegan issues, I don't see why the ricotta and eggs couldn't be replaced with either some pureed soft tofu mixed with a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseeds; or, possibly some pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes. Either combination would provide the moisture and binding properties the cheese and eggs provide. As for my husband and I going vegan, I'll keep you posted. 



Mediterranean Brown Rice & Vegetable Bake
from Mahatma Brown Rice

2 c. cooked brown rice
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped or 1 cup chopped fennel bulb
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 c. drained sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1/2 c. ricotta
2 eggs, lighted beaten
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Prepare brown rice according to package directions.

Heat a 10-12 inch skillet, add 2 T. olive oil. Add the onions, garlic and celery (or fennel) and saute for 6 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add the mushrooms, tomatoes and pepper flakes and saute until mushrooms have released their moisture and much of the moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and ricotta. 

Add to the egg mixture the cooled vegetables, the salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese, the parsley and basil and the nuts. Mix well to combine all ingredients.

Add the brown rice and mix together.  Lightly oil a loaf or casserole dish. 

Pour the mixture into the dish and spread evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake another 10-20 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle with some parsley and Parmesan.

Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Ever since they began selling farro at Costco in 3 lb. packages at a fairly reasonable price, I find myself making it a lot. It's a great alternative to rice or barley, and is full of healthy goodness. For those unfamiliar with this wholesome grain, farro is a type of hard wheat, sometimes referred to as 'spelt' or 'emmer wheat'. It's considered a mainstay grain in the Mediterranean diet, and has been grown and enjoyed in Italy since Roman times.  Farro is naturally high in fiber and contains significantly more protein than wheat. As such, it has grown in popularity, and availability, here in the U.S.

And thank goodness it has, as it is wonderfully delicious and incredibly versatile. In terms of flavor, farro has a wonderful nutty taste and a firm, chewy bite that adds an interesting texture to any dish. I use it in hot dishes, like pilafs, in soups, and it is superb as a salad ingredient as I have done here mixed with roasted vegetables and herbs. As a substitute for rice or barley, it is prepared in the same way - boil in water with a touch of salt added, for 15-20 minutes, drain and its ready to go.

This farro salad with roasted vegetables comes to me by way of Jamie Oliver. It is among one of my favorite dishes to serve at summer barbeque buffets, but is delicious anytime of year.  It is a great side with any grilled or roasted meat or fish. I'm serving it here with a roasted salmon fillet. 

The dish is chock full of great vegetables - eggplant, zucchini, red pepper and most importantly, fennel, whose mild anise flavor makes this dish extra special. But, any mix of vegetables can be used. To finish the dish, I added a few golden raisins for that occasional bite of sweetness, and some fresh parsley and basil.

Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables
recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver

1 cup farro, rinsed
1 medium zucchini 
1 small - medium eggplant
1/2 large red pepper
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 bulb fennel
large handful of parsley
large handful of fresh basil
few tablespoons of golden raisins
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the farro: fill a large saucepan with a generous 3 cups of water.  Add the rinsed farro and a touch of salt. Boil for 15-20 minutes till chewy, not mushy.  Drain and pour into a large bowl.

Chop all the vegetables into bite size pieces and place onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix together to coat all the veggies with the oil and bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, tossing veggies half way through the baking time, until vegetables are soft but not overcooked. Remove from oven and drizzle with a bit of  the balsamic vinegar and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mixture; toss to combine. 

Add all the vegetables and the raisins to the rice. Chop the parsley and basil and add to the mixture. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, toss to combine. Add more salt if necessary, toss again and serve.  

Orzo & Rice Salad

This delicious salad comes to me by way of a Middle Eastern friend of my daughter. It has become one of my favorite side dishes to make, and is chock full of a wonderful blend of textures and flavors. I especially like it for summertime barbeques or potluck gatherings as it is tasty either cold or at room temperature, and can be made a day in advance.  

The base of the dish is a mixture of orzo pasta and wild rice. The orzo serves as the dish's main ingredient, and is a great base to soak up the flavors of the vegetables and the balsamic vinegar/lemon juice/olive oil vinaigrette dressing.  The wild rice lends a nice, nutty, chewy texture to the mixture.

The vegetables can be varied to suit your taste, but some, like the green onions, parsley and red  pepper, in my opinion, are must-haves to either boost flavor or add wonderful color to the dish. Other essentials include the raisins and walnuts, raisins for their sweetness and walnuts for the crunch.

The salad is easy to prepare and is best after a few hours when the flavors have had a chance to blend and fully penetrate the rice and pasta. As you can see from the photos, it has a wonderful mix of colors and goes well with any grilled, broiled or roasted meat.

Orzo & Wild Rice Salad

1 cup dry orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions

1/3 c. wild rice, cooked separately according to package directions

1/3 c. sweet red pepper, chopped

1/3 c. green pepper, chopped

1/3 c. red onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped (white & green parts)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/3 c. raisins

1/3 c. walnuts, roughly chopped

Vinaigrette dressing:

2-3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 T. lemon juice

1-2 T. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix cooked and well drained orzo pasta and wild rice. Add all the chopped vegetables, the raisins, and walnuts and mix well together.

To season and dress the salad, add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Add 2 T. of the olive oil, 2 T. of the lemon juice and 1 T. of the balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning and dressing ingredients accordingly. 

Let the salad rest for at least an hour either in or out of the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend together. 

Basil Spaetzle with Corn & Spinach

My husband and I spent last weekend at our house on the lake. For some reason I have a hard time sleeping there. So, when I can't sleep I often go to the loft to watch TV. Though the house is quite modern, we don't have cable service. And, since it is located in a rather rural part of town, our TVs capture only a few, and mostly bad or local, channels.


Therefore, I'm stuck watching either cartoons, this home shopping channel selling hunting knives, or a lifestyle station that features a fairly entertaining cooking show. The cooking show, called Bringing it Home, features both notable celebrity chefs and head chefs from fine restaurants in the locales featured in their episodes. On this particular episode, the chef, whose name I didn't catch, made this wonderful side dish of basil flavored spaetzle sauteed with fresh corn and baby spinach. Of course, as a trained chef, he whipped this delicious looking dish (even at 4:30 in the morning) up in no time flat, and made the process look super easy.  I figured it was worth a try and would make a great side dish for any simply grilled, sauteed or broiled meat or fish.


All in all, making the batter is indeed a cinch. What I liked about the spaetzle featured on the show was that the basil, when added to the batter, made beautiful, brightly colored green spaetzle dumplings. Next to the corn and spinach, it made a visually appealing side dish. But, as you can see from the picture above, mine weren't so bright green, more tinged green than fully green. I concluded my basil, though very finely chopped, really needed to be  pureed as it must have been on the episode, but I missed that part of the show. To further complicate matters, the recipe for the dish featured on the Bringing it Home website, was terribly written. The steps to preparing the dish were clearly incorrect, and more importantly, didn't even include the procedure for preparing or adding the basil to the batter. I'd like to think, had the recipe been better written, my results would have been better, as well. 

I've never made spaetzle before, but with some research on the internet, it's clearly not rocket science. Though I didn't have a spaetzle making device, most recipes recommend using either a colander with big holes, the large holes of a box grater, or even a large slotted spoon. The chef on the episode I watched, used a colander, similar to one I had, so it did indeed seem simple enough.  Not so.

When I added the batter to the colander and pushed it through the holes, the little pieces of batter wouldn't drop into the hot boiling water as it was supposed to. They just stuck to the bottom of the colander and had to be scraped into the hot pot below. So I moved to the box grater method, but that was a bust as well. In the end, I filled a small plastic freezer bag with the batter, snipped off a corner and as the batter squeezed through the hole, using a small knife, I cut the batter into small pieces as it dropped into the hot boiling water. That process actually worked fine, not as efficient or fast, but it got the job done. Whew! I don't know why I didn't just thin the batter a bit.

All in all, this a great side dish, with an incredible amount of flavor and great color (had the spaetzle been the right color).  I used fresh corn, instead of frozen, to ensure a robust corn flavor, and so glad I did. My next purchase is a spaetzle maker as it is quite versatile, and can be used in place of rice or orzo in so many dishes.

Basil Spaetzle with Corn & Spinach Saute

1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. fresh basil











2 small ears of corn, kernels removed
2-3 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach, cleaned and well drained
2-3 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a blender or food processor, puree the basil with a tablespoon or two of water. You want a fine puree. 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. 

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together until well combined -- an electric mixer works great here. 

Now add the egg mixture and the basil puree to the dry ingredients, and beat together until it turns into a thick batter. Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes.

While the batter is resting, bring a pot of water, with a generous amount of salt added to it, to a rolling boil.  

Using a colander or spaetzle maker, drop the spaetzle batter into the pot. When the droplets float to the surface and are firm to the touch, remove to a clean colander.  Rinse quickly with cold water to stop the cooking process, drain well and set aside.

In a heated skillet or saute pan, melt the butter. Add the fresh corn (or thawed frozen corn) and saute a minute or two until the corn is tender. Add the spaetzle and spinach. Saute, mixing frequently, until the spinach is fully wilted and cooked. Season with salt and pepper as needed, and serve. Enough for 4 generous side portions.

Okra with Corn & Zucchini Saute

The produce market I frequent recently featured a new crop of okra. Not a  vegetable most markets carry year round, these were beautiful, unblemished, fresh looking okra, that I simply couldn't pass up. Ordinarily, I would prepare them the way my mother did, by sauteing them with some garlic, onion, and perhaps green pepper. Then she would pour a can of chopped tomatoes over the mixture and let it stew until all the vegetables were well cooked and the flavors have a chance to come together. Though simple and quite delicious, I wanted to change things up a bit.  

With a simple search on the internet, this recipe from Epicurious popped up. Always one to go for the pretty pictures, this one looked particularly enticing with its interesting mix of ingredients and splash of bright colors. What really sold me was use of cilantro to give it a whole new flavor dimension. And, indeed, it does. 

I changed the recipe a bit to suit my preferences. The most significant was to simply saute the okra with the rest of the vegetables, instead of dredging them in cornmeal and then deep frying them in oil. I also added the red peppers for more color, plus I personally love the flavor they add to dishes. 

The flavors in this dish are quite pronounced, so it is best served alongside a simply prepared meat or fish entree. Or, start the dish off with some sauteed sausage or ground meat and it can become a perfectly delicious entree unto itself. 

Okra with Corn & Zucchini Saute

 

1 lb. okra, trimmed and washed

2-3 green onions, sliced

1 small red sweet pepper, diced

1 zucchini, medium dice

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 - 1/2 c. chopped cherry tomatoes

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. olive oil

The okra can remain whole or chopped into bite-sized pieces, as I have done. 

In a medium Dutch oven or large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the red peppers on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook to release the garlic flavor. Now add the zucchini and okra. Stir and cook for a few minutes.  Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, and cook till the tomatoes begin to breakdown. Now add the corn and cook for 10 minutes until all the vegetables are well cooked. 

Add the green onions and cilantro. Mix and saute for another minute or two, and serve.

Red Cabbage Slaw - Zippity Quick

Here is the easiest slaw ever! With the help of my Oxo mandoline slicer and my cool julienne slicer, making this healthy, crunchy, delicious cabbage slaw is a cinch. My Cuisinart tends to pulverize rather than shred, so when a very thin slice or shredding vegetables is required, I prefer to use my mandoline. It's a tool I find myself using quite frequently these days.  

The recipe here is a simple one - red cabbage, some onion (I like a combo of red and green onion), carrot, celery, a few golden raisins to add a little sweetness, and a vinaigrette dressing.  Aside from the carrot, where I prefer to use the julienne slicer, all of the vegetables can be shredded on the mandoline in a flash.  If I'd had it on hand, I would also add either some fennel, or jicama for even more crunch.

 

Red Cabbage Slaw

1/4 head cabbage, shredded

1 stalk celery, finely sliced

1 carrot, julienne

2 T. golden raisins

1/4 c. red onion, very finely sliced

1-2 green onions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. celery seed

1/4 tsp. sugar or 2 tsp. honey

2 T. rice, cider or red wine vinegar

1 tsp. light salad oil 

Shred the cabbage, celery, red onion with the mandoline.  Use the julienne slicer for the carrot. Chop the green onion. 

Mix all veggies together. Add the golden raisins. Season the mixture with the salt, pepper, celery seed, sugar (or honey). Add the vinegar and oil. Toss and let sit in the refrigerator for a bit for the flavors to blend.  Enough for 4-6 servings. 

Oh so simple and fast!

 

Broccoli with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

Thanksgiving is here, which means dinner at my younger sister's home. I have four sisters, and all but one (she lives in Houston) will be there, along with my 98 year old father, and my daughter, who will be coming home for the weekend. Though we are a thoroughly Italian family, our Thanksgiving meal is very traditional and quite American, so no pasta that day. I consider all of my sisters and myself to be good cooks, so everything is made from scratch. My sister (the hostess) makes the turkey (always fresh) and handles all the details, like beverages and appetizers, but the rest of us handle the majority of the side dishes and desserts. My charge is always the pumpkin pies and sometimes the green vegetable for the day.

With so many rich foods on the menu  I prefer to keep the green veggie that day relatively simple, so no dishes with a buttery rich sauce or creamy-cheesy base. But, I can't seem to settle for just plain veggies either. To dress them up a bit I like to top them with a flavorful gremolata bread crumb topping. For those unfamiliar with the term 'gremolata', it is an Italian condiment typically made of minced lemon zest, garlic and parsley traditionally served with veal, Osso Buco in particular, or other meats. I add breadcrumbs and a few finely chopped walnuts to make it a more suitable compliment for vegetables. The parsley and lemon zest add a wonderful fresh taste to the veggies, and the bread crumbs and walnuts lend a crispy crunch; all a nice contrast to the many creamy, soft foods on the menu that day.

Gremolata is best when made with freshly made bread crumbs, and though it goes without saying, fresh, not dried, parsley. Any good artisan-style bread, white, wheat or multi-grain, will do. Just pulse a few slices a few seconds in a food processor and then bake the coarse crumbs in a 250 degree oven, till they are dry but not brown, about 15 minutes or so. They can be made a day or two ahead, and stored in a glass jar to prevent the crumbs from picking up flavors or odors from other foods in the refrigerator.

For this blog post I have prepared just a small amount, enough for 4 generous side servings. By all means, double, triple or quadruple the amounts to fit your needs. And, feel free to change the proportions-a little more parsley, lighter on the nuts, etc. Gremolata has many, many interpretations and I've noticed it is featured frequently in many holiday food magazines.  I can't emphasize enough what this simple, easy to make topping adds to any vegetable. It adds a delicious flourish and is an easy way to dress up a dish for a holiday buffet appearance.   Happy Thanksgiving.

Broccoli w/ Gremolata Bread Crumbs

1 bunch broccoli, trimmed, and cut into bite size pieces

2 T. olive oil

12 c. dry, fresh bread crumbs

2 small or 1 large garlic clove, very finely minced

1/4 c. finely chopped parsley

1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts, toasted in saute pan

2 tsp. lemon zest, finely minced

salt to season the vegetables

Prepare the broccoli:

Steam for 4 minutes till tender, but not soft or mushy.  Remove broccoli from steamer and put into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, and some salt and mix together.

Prepare the Gremolata:

In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for just a minute to soften and flavor the oil. 

Add the breadcrumbs and saute till  well coated and crispy but not brown. 

Remove from heat and add the walnuts, parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Mix well together and let sit for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. 

Plate the prepared broccoli and generously sprinkle the gremolata over the top, and serve.