Berurier noir - Salut à toi

Morphine - Cure for Pain

Morphine: It's What's For Dinner

Last weekend, I actually had two days off in a row, which is a rare occurence for me lately.  Given this "Get Out of Dodge" pass, I hit the highway and made it to Cambridge in record time.  Sunday was Octoberfest in Harvard Square, and one of the bands I got to see perform was Vapors of Morphine.  Great music, fabulous friends, beer gardens and gorgeous weather made for a splendid day.  
What this all means is this: when I got home Monday evening, I needed a meal that was quick and easy to prepare, and didn't require a whole lot of thought.  Enter the Tortellini Bake.  It may not be the most interesting or culinarily daring meal, but it wins points for taste and efficiency. And that counts for something, right?
All that you need is a bag of fresh tri-color cheese tortellini (you have to get this one, because it looks healthier than the regular kind), a can of tomato puree, some fresh spinach, and some cheese.  Oh, and an onion and basil, if possible.

Spinach, because anything you add it to becomes that much healthier, right?
Just throw it in a skillet with a little water to quickly wilt it.
Then cool, squeeze, chop, and Popeye!  You've got the green veg covered!

While the tortellini is boiling, get that sauce going.   Olive oil in a sauce pan, a half  yellow onion diced, a crushed clove of garlic.  After a few minutes of medium heat sauteeing, add that can of crushed or pureed tomatoes (San Marzano, if possible, because it is superlative), a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, sea salt, and ground pepper and simmer.
If I have it, I also  add a blop of basil.

Once the sauce has adequately simmered, add the tortellini and chopped spinach, and pour it all in a casserole dish.  Top with some cheese (I used pre-shredded mozzarella and parm because this is a "cheat meal", so stop judging).

350 for about 15-20 minutes...gooey and delicious.  

Relatively painless.  Not too many pans, and it makes good left-overs.  Would Julia approve? Absolutely. (Well, she might draw the line at the pre-shredded cheese. And she would be unquestionably justified in doing so.  I have found that the pre-shredded stuff does not taste as good or melt in quite the same way; but when convenience is at stake, it's there for you.)

Getting back to the beginning of this piece, my soundtrack while putting this together was music by the band Morphine (from whence Vapors of Morphine arose).  Don't know them?  Then check them out.  Both bands. Click on their names for more info.

Oh, and this is how I add basil when the actual herb is not in season...

It's in the produce aisle, with all of the "fresh" herbs.
Trust me, this stuff is magical.  And much better than the out-of season herbs it sits next to.

*Tonight's meal was made even more pleasant by the glass of wine accompanying it:
Capa Tempranillo.

Falling into Autumn

…And, I'm back…(although, I did not go anywhere…just couldn't/didn't find time for this blog, but then I started to miss it, so here I am).

I've still been cooking meals for the man up the street, and for my family.  I have filled an entire journal with each week's recipes, and it has become a fantastic "go-to" when I'm at a loss as to what to make. 

To make up for my extended absence, I'm going to start off with a fancy new gadget (that I actually got for FREE!).  This is a Spiralizer.  Sounds like a gimmick, but it is seriously one of the most amusing things in my kitchen right now (besides the fork that's giving people the finger).  And this is my first dish with it: 

lemon-garlic zucchini noodles with roasted tomatoes

So this is the crazy device that makes noodles out of vegetables…

I altered the recipe by adding some pasta to the Zucchini noodles, because I knew it wouldn't fly with the kids, otherwise.  Why 2 different kinds, you ask?  It's called poor planning, and no time to run BACK to the grocery store.  Use what you've got, I often say (by necessity)…so my lovely green "noodles' were accompanied by a bit of linguine and a bit of fettucine.  They all got along just fine.

 The tomatoes I got were just perfect little ovoids of redness…and they were generously doused with sea salt, crushed garlic and olive oil before getting roasted.

Some lemon zest, and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and some toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan nicely finished this dish.  Surprisingly easy to make (however, it involves a lot of pans and other kitchen tools, and therefore the clean-up took me longer than the preparation…but that is also because I'm a terribly messy cook).

And here it is (minus the pine nuts, which I neglected to add for the picture…but don't  leave them out because they really foo add to the dish!)

This, by the way, is what is left of the courgette aprés spiralization.

My soundtrack for the evening was all Nick Cave…in honor of his birthday.

If you don't know his music, I highly recommend you give it a listen.

https://youtu.be/1GWsdqCYvgw

Oh…and here's that fork:

July 14 & 15: Of Cilantro and Switzerland

Monday:  Mushroom and Zucchini Quesadillas with Cilantro Pesto
It's zucchini season, and the farm near my house is selling gorgeous ones right now, so i was pleased to find this recipe (Oh My Veggies is such an awesome blog!!!)  I was hesitant about the cilantro pesto, but when I read the post about this dish, I couldn't help but give it a try...it was practically a dare!  I have never been a fan of cilantro, and usually just leave it out of any recipe that calls for it.  This time, I braved the cilantro challenge, and I really liked the end result.

I liked the idea of using walnuts in the pesto. and the fact that a jalapeño is involved.  It resulted in a brilliant green, terribly tasty paste.
The rest of the recipe is pretty easy...sauté the mushrooms and zucchini, grate the cheese, and then assemble the quesadillas.  I neglected to take a picture of my final project, since I was in an enormous rush to get to work, and had to have this meal delivered before I left.  I managed to get my older daughter involved in the assembly part, and she  took care of business for me.  I have been teaching her how to cook since she was little, and she enjoys the whole process of cooking and baking.  She does not, unfortunately, like zucchini (in fact, she has pretty strong feelings about it which I won't go into, because it involves vomit).

Anyway, I'm including the picture that Oh My Veggies used (which is where the recipe is from):  http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-mushroom-zucchini-quesadillas-with-cilantro-pesto/

Tuesday: Quinoa Spinach Mac n Cheese

A friend of mine pinned this recipe on Pinterest (I'll admit I have lost a lot of time falling down this rabbit hole), and as soon as I saw it I knew it had to be in this week's repertoire.  I'm such a sucker for any dish that involves copious amount of melted cheese.  I actually based my entire honeymoon around that precept:  I went to Switzerland, and enjoyed frequent fondue feasts.  This particular recipe features spinach, and replaces the pasta with quinoa, so it seems positively virtuous!

I neglected to take a picture of it, but when you go to the recipe, the blog has fabulous pix of the dish. 

http://www.bakeaholicmama.com/2012/10/quinoa-spinach-mac-n-cheese.html

I didn't make mine in a skillet, by the way...I used a casserole dish instead.  This meal went over very well with my younger daughter.  She said it was much better than the Quinoa Broccoli casserole I made a few weeks ago.  I have to agree with her on this (although I think that dish is awfully good).

Since there are no photos of the dish, I'm going to post some shots I took while in Brienz...one of my favorite Swiss towns...

The following post is one of my favorite videos...and it's a great song too.

OK Go - Needing/Getting - Official Video

Monday June 30 to Wednesday July 2...The Yam in Question

Monday:  Spinach Mushroom Quiche Cups
Monday had to be super simple.  And it was, because the person for whom I cook really likes quiche, and often wants one available for breakfast, so this recipe seemed perfect...mini quiche cups.
It is so quick and easy:  I blanched the spinach in a little water in a cast iron skillet, then squeezed out the water and chopped it up.
The mushrooms were chopped up, sautéed in a little olive oil and sprinkled it with salt & pepper.  Crack 6 eggs, whisk in some light cream, and season with a little more salt & pepper.
Grease the muffin pan, mix the spinach and muffin with the eggs, and then ladle the mixture
into the muffins cups.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese, and pop in to the oven...
Mini quiches!  Cute and convenient...
http://www.manilaspoon.com/2012/08/spinach-quiche-cups.html

Tuesday:  Miso Roasted Tofu Veggie Bowl
This is one of my new favorites.  I have made it a few times, and just love it.  It stores well in the fridge and makes a great cold lunch "salad" to bring to work.  So healthy and delicious!  This is why I was looking forward to making it this week...it was going to be a busy week, and I looked forward to having these leftovers to take to work with me.
I went to Whole Foods and got all of my ingredients, including a different miso paste than the one I had used before.  I got a big, solid-looking yam, and a new chunk of fresh ginger (the one in my fridge was looking a  little peak'ed).
Did I mention that I purchased a yam?  Yes, a yam, which I'm quite sure was sitting right next to the sweet potatoes.  So there I am, peeling this yam, in preparation for roasting it with the tofu, and I am becoming aware of the fact that this yam has white skin...not that gorgeous deep orange I expected to see.  I scraped a little deeper, hoping this dingy white flesh would reveal the "true colors"...and then it dawned on me.  This was a yam.  A yam is not a sweet potato.  That is probably why it has a different name.  Never mind that the outward appearances of the two tubers are quite similar.  (As a quick aside here, let it be known that I am fully aware that a person who is trying to pass herself off as a food blogger should really know the difference.)
I stopped what I was doing, and did a quick google search.  Here is the article that I posted on Facebook, since I felt the need to share this "new found" knowledge of mine with all the other deluded cooks who didn't know what they were peeling:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/25/difference-between-sweet-potatoes-and-yams_n_1097840.html
So now you know (if you didn't already...and if you did, no gloating necessary: I've already been humbled by my dear friends who left me witty remarks on my FB post).
As an aside (and to deflect from this whole yam fiasco), I thought I'd mention the book  just finished this week:

It's an interesting book for a couple of reasons.  First of all, it is told in letters to dead people...most notably Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.  Through these missives, a story unfolds about a girl who is working through the loss of her sister and figuring out how to fit in to a new high school.  I think you should check it out...it's a great read.

Here is a good intro to the book:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/quotes-that-will-inspire-you-to-read-love-letters-to-the

Wednesday:  Tempeh "Chimichangas"

I'm not sure what these should really be called, because I made them up.  I had looked at recipe for chimichangas, which was kind of the inspiration for this dish, but my end result is nothing like the one in that recipe.  However, these are damn delicious, so I'm glad I came up with it.  Feel free to call them whatever in the hell you want...and vary your fillings, too.

I started with a zucchini, which I shredded with my faithful Cuisanart , and tempeh, which I tossed with some TJ's taco seasoning.  First I sautéed the tempeh in a little canola oil, and then set it aside.  I added a bit more oil into that same pan, let it reheat, and then sautéed the zucchini for just a few minutes.

Then I began to assemble the "chimichangas". (Although perhaps I should be calling them enchiladas?  Wait, I have a better idea.  I am going to call them Mexican Roll-Ups.  OK?)

First, a generous line of cream cheese down the middle.  

Then some tempeh, zucchini, and salsa.

The last two things I put in this are diced black olives and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.  

I rolled those babies up and placed them in a lightly oiled casserole dish.  

Then, I gave them a nice blanket of salsa, and a good sprinkling of that Jack cheese.

Pop it in the oven (375° for about 20 minutes), and you've got a fabulous, filling, fiesta of flavors!