Breakfast – Grow. Cook. Eat.

September 8, 2009

The Staples of Life (Recipes: Panzanella and Strata)

By some strange miracle, the blight never struck my tiny patch of soil. In fact, I have more tomatoes than in any other year before. This year, when I transplanted the tomatoes in the spring, I recalled a friend's advice: Prune the bottom two leaves and bury the root mound deeper than usual to allow for extra root growth and stability. Could this have made the difference? Thankfully, friends are quite enthusiastic about relieving me of my bounty.

Every meal this week has a variation of tomatoes, basil, bread and mozzarella. Who knew you could make so many different variations with the same four ingredients.

Panzanella…

Bruschetta…

Strata…

Panzanella
Recipes abound for panzanella. Most suggest that stale bread needs to be soaked in water and then squeezed out. I don't fully understand the purpose of this step — obviously, the bread needs to soften up. But why not soften it in tomato juice?

2 cups cubed bread — stale or toasted
1 large cucumber
1 tsp. salt
2 tomatoes
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
fresh basil, chopped
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice cucumbers. Toss with salt and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cube tomatoes and set aside in a small bowl. Cube mozzarella.
3. Drain excess water off of the cucumbers.
4. The tomatoes should start to give off water after 15 minutes of sitting. Take this liquid and toss with bread cubes.
5. Mix the remaining ingredients together just before serving. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato Mozzarella Strata
Strata is a breakfast dish, similar to a quiche or frittata.

3 tbs. butter
4 slices bread
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs. fresh herbs: basil, scallions, tarragon and/or parsley
1 tbs. finely diced celery
2 tomatoes, sliced
8 oz. ball fresh mozzarella, sliced

1. Melt butter in a 9" x 9" pyrex dish. Lay bread slices on top of melted butter.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, herbs and celery. Season salt.
3. Pour egg mix over the bread.
4. Layer tomatoes and basil on top. Sprinkle with a little extra salt and pepper for seasoning.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until eggs are set. Serving immediately.

September 4, 2009

Camel-Chini (Recipe: Zucchini Bread)

I have few memories of the year my family lived in Israel when I was 3-years old. But I remember the memories, and they have tinted the stories of my childhood when we were back in the States. The Passover story, recited every year at the Seders around the globe, tells of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt during the time of Pharoh. For most of my youth, I thought we were actually part of that exodus – and that’s why we were in Israel. And when my father served us camel-chini at dinner, instead of the usual zoo-chini, it made sense that we would eat that because we used to live in the Middle East.

When I returned to my garden after a week on the farm, I didn’t know what to expect. I forgot to follow the weather to see if it rained, though I believe the temperatures were a scorching 90+ for several days. Would the tomatoes wither from the blight? Would I finally have zucchini? And would my tiny little lettuce seedlings that I planted the week before survive?

I had two zucchinis the size of baseball bats. Maybe these were the storied camel-chini of my youth? I immediately sliced up the first for that night’s dinner. It was tough and woody – not pleasing at all. With all sorts of zucchini bread recipes popping up all over the blog-o-sphere, I realized that grating was the only way to combat the texture.

Yesterday, I tore out the zucchini plant. While I had hopes of a bumper crop, I only harvested those two overgrown specimens. And I’ve come to realize this happens because of where I planted the seeds. I’m so concerned about overgrown plants, peddling zucchini plants on my street, that I plant them in the least sunny patch of the garden. And with the torrential rains this summer, I discovered that location also gets the most run-off. If I’m to plant zucchini again, I need to commit to a sunnier location.

Zucchini Bread
from Morning Glory Farm Cookbook, via Dine and Dish

2 to 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 9? x 5? bread pans with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Beat sugar into mix until it is thoroughly creamed.

Once liquids and sugar are well mixed, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until batter is well blended and even in texture. The batter should be smooth, outside the zucchini shreds. If it’s not, add a little juice from the zucchini.
Pour batter evenly into pans.

Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until bread is brown and springs back when gently pressed in the middle.

January 12, 2009

Good Morning Vietnam

My favorite part of traveling is exploring other cultures’ cuisine, especially breakfast! I’ve never been a fan of American breakfasts – for me, eggs, pancakes and bacon induce naps within 30 minutes despite copious amounts of coffee. But breakfast abroad… Fried Rice in Bali, Congee with Meatball in Thailand, Salads and Cured Fish in Israel….. is a treat.

In Vietnam, the traditional breakfast is Pho: hot, steaming rice noodle soup with meat and onions, topped with lots of fresh herbs. And despite the hot climate – last week it was hazy, hot and humid – Vietnamese will slurp this dish throughout the day.

On my first morning in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City as it’s formally called), I scouted out places for breakfast. I wanted to find a café/restaurant that seemed busy with locals (I wasn’t quite ready to order straight from a street vendor) – an indication that the food was fresh and tasty. I had been told that the side condiments of hoisin and sriracha were an American invention, and indeed we did not see any on the table. Instead we saw fresh sliced chilies and garlic soaking in fish sauce. With each bowl is served a side plate of more herbs: a combination of basil, cilantro, recao (or long cilantro) and bean sprouts. We also had fried crullers, which we saw people dipping into their soup. They tasted stale to me, and to my taste did not add to the experience. On the first morning I was hesitant to add the fresh herbs (I am leery of eating anything that isn't peeled or cooked, especially on the first day). I enjoyed my soup that had slivers of ginger. Most shops sell pho for 20,000 Dong (about $1.25 USD)
Each noodle shop has its own secret recipe for the broth, and variation on the herbs. But you can count on the bowl being a balance of Yin and Yang – hot and cold foods. The broth, with its meat, onions and ginger are hot (yang) and the fresh herbs, sprouts and lime are cool (yin). The noodles are balanced, and all together this dish is in harmony.

Perhaps the best bowl of Pho was in the outskirts of Hanoi. This version was laced with slivers of kaffir lime leaves which gave the broth brightness. And by this time, I was less hesitant of adding plenty fresh herbs. A few places served hoisin and chili sauce on the side… had this been a Western transplant?

How to eat Pho

The soup is served with a plate of garnishes so you can season the soup just as you like it. I prefer extra scallions, basil, bean sprouts, chilies and a good squeeze of lime. Some people add extra fish sauce and cilantro. In some places you will see dishes of hoisin and sriracha. Add these to your taste. Whatever you like, just stir it in with your chopsticks.

Pho is a two handed meal. With your dominant hand (for me, it's left), hold the chopsticks and in your other hand a spoon. Pull up the noodles with your chopsticks and slurp (or shovel). Eat a spoon of broth. Alternatively, pull up the noodles with your chopsticks and use the spoon to help guide the noodles into your mouth. I try to alternative between bites of noodles and slurps of broth so that I keep everything balanced throughout the bowl.

During the second week of my trip, I ventured into Banh Mi Pate – another popular breakfast treat. [[ This is very much street food, in that the vegetables are raw and unpeeled and the meats are not refrigerated. If you have a weak traveler’s stomach you may want to avoid this.]] I had enjoyed this sandwich in the US, but always assumed it was a lunch treat. One of the few dishes that’s a holdover from the French occupation, this sandwich combines pork pates and cured hams with pickled carrots and daikon. With sprigs of cilantro and slices of chilies, this sandwich has a decidedly Vietnamese feel. To give it an extra Vietnamese touch, the pates are wrapped in lotus leaves before they are cooked. If you thought Pho was a deal, this is a scream – only 10,000 Dong – about 60 cents!

July 18, 2008

Garden to Table: Raspberries

The raspberries are starting to kick into high gear. I’m yet not harvesting enough in any given two day period – which is as long as I can keep them before I start snacking on them — to make a pie or other berry-laden dessert.

I do have enough to significantly embellish muffins or pancakes, which is what I did this morning.

Raspberries grow on thorny sprays of branches. Ripe ones hide under the foliage. To make sure I find all the ripe ones before they mold or rot, I have to inspect the plant from many angles: pushing away branches, lifting leaves and getting behind the plant. With careful inspection, I filled a 6 ounce ramekin with berries in 5 minutes.

I only wash the berries just before using them; otherwise the rotting process is hastened.

My favorite pancake recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking
.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. baking powder

1½ cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbs. melted butter

Butter for cooking as needed.

1. Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl and make a well in the center.

2. Mix wet ingredients. Pour into well of dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.

3. Heat pan over medium heat. Add butter. Ladle in about 2 oz. of batter per pancake. Cook for about 3 minutes. Flip, continue cooking. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200 oven until ready to serve.
For the raspberry pancakes, I dot each spoon of batter with berries.

When I’ve finished making all the pancakes, I add the remaining berries to the pan along with some maple syrup.
I pour the berry-syrup over the pancakes just before serving.

Garden to Table: 30 minutes

July 11, 2008

Cooking from the Larder and Garden

Perhaps it’s a combination of rising food prices, my concern about the impact of wasted food on the environment (both up and down stream) or my general laziness to do anything in the heat of summer. In the past 24 hours I needed to cook 2 meals – dinner for myself and breakfast with a friend – and I decided to cook with what I have in the house.

What I have in the house is limited. Further complicating matter is that I like to have vegetables at every meal, but I don’t typically keep them on hand. My schedule is varied enough that I only buy things that will keep for at least a week or two. Fresh vegetables, which decline rapidly, I buy on an “as-needed” basis.

The garden is still in the early summer lull – the spring crops are over, the summer crops haven’t yet ripened.

I piecemeal together the vegetables: Canned tomatoes from last years’ crop. Organic, truly vine-ripened. And since they’re really “jarred” they don’t have that tinny taste like commercially processed tomatoes. The yellow tomatoes won’t give a vibrant color to a meal, but they are exceedingly delicious.

A few squash blossoms. As I just learned, zucchinis give off male and female flowers. The female flowers produce the vegetable, the males… well, the males don’t do much. The ratio of female to male is typically 1:5. Given that, I have no compunction about snagging all the blossoms that don’t have fruit behind them. That’s about a dozen over the course of two days.

The celery is not yet fully sized, but I could probably lop off a stalk or two without harming the rest.

The snow pea plant will be dug up in a few days, so I can snip off what’s left of the tender leaves and the last few peas.

The larder is pretty well stocked: eggs, milk, pastry crust, bacon, cheese, bread, black beans. And I have some left-over grilled vegetables – ¼ of a zucchini (from the farmers market) and ¼ of a bell pepper.

For the first meal, my dinner, the solution is obvious and easy: I pureed the canned tomatoes, warmed them and served it as soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. I garnished with some squash blossoms and fresh basil.

For the breakfast, quiche seemed like a great option because I have crusts in the freezer (left over from the strawberry-rhubarb pies. I could make a variation on an Alsatian Quiche with onions, bacon and cheddar (instead of gruyere).

Instead, I opt for “summer vegetable.” I like that I can use up some leftover grilled vegetables, another can of tomatoes (I have about 8 pints left from last summer that I need to use before this year’s canning adventure begins) and the basil and scallions from the garden. The onions and bacon will keep for another meal.

Summer Vegetable Quiche

Pie Crust
1 ½ cups milk or half-n-half
½ cup pureed tomatoes
3 eggs
1 cup left-over summer vegetables: zucchini, red peppers, snap peas, celery etc.
½ cup cheddar cheese grated
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh scallions, chopped
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine milk and tomato puree in a sauce pot. Heat over medium flame until small bubble form on the edges. While milk is heating, whisk eggs. Slowly drizzle milk into egg mixture until combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Line pie pan with pie dough. Sprinkle vegetables, cheese and herbs on top. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables until the pie shell is full.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until quiche is set.