Ya know….

When you make something that is delectable

but looks not so delectable?

yeah. me too.

Enter sage pesto on roasted veggies.

if you will

My sage was taking off in the herb garden from a few weeks ago

The basil was looking downright shrimpy.

So….made a pesto from the sage.

Note: Breastfeeding mom’s do NOT want to eat sage. Decreases milk supply.

true story.

then roasted some fresh from someone else's garden veggies…

Then it got

ugly

But dayum good.

yep.

:: Sage pesto ::

loose cup of fresh sage

1/2 cup of parmesan

3 TBSP of walnuts (or pine nuts)

1/3 cup of oil

Blend sage, parm and walnuts in blender or cuisinart….slowly stream in the oil. Blend till creamy.

Blast from the past….good food.

When I was in college…there was a cookbook I brought with me.

It was written by hand.

really.

Who does that?

Moosewood Cookbook did. That is who.

They were a once teensy little vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca NY.

and I LOVED their recipes.

So….I brought it to school. And my roommates and friends and I used it.

I remember an old boyfriend impressing me with the cream of asparagus soup from the book…made in his ramshackle beer can infested kitchen he shared with 4 other guys.

only…he forgot to add the asparagus.

After countless moves, countless kids. well four.

I invariably lost the favorite dog eared book.

But…continued to make many of the recipes…changed, altered glorified or not

On a whim…I recently bought a used Moosewood cookbook on Amazon. Pennies on the dollar, people

And looking at the hand written recipes just shot me right back to old college apartments in old houses…The smell of stale beer…and Ratatouille.

And while I make it differently….I opened the page and chopped and sautéed and stewed away.

The smell of fresh veggies and herbs stewing….Heaven.

 

Try it….You’ll like it.

ask Mikey.

find it here too.

And while the old ratatouille recipe is not on here too old school? you will find some newer fresher fab recipes on their Moosewood site

Go…find ye a cheap beer…preferably in a can…cause you can crush it on your forehead maybe did anyone ever do that? naaww.

And cook.

Coconut and Lime….and Thai red curry paste.

You know those days?

You know those days.

The air is thick…not so much with heat, but with fog.

They are insular days….make soup days.

I have lemongrass and limes growing

I ALWAYS have coconut oil and milk

and happen to have locally harvested mushrooms and ginger.

Put it all together…In a bowl, preferably that says “this bowl fights hunger”.

A local soup-kitchen fundraiser.

 

 

 

…and we get none other than a warm you to the core

Tom Kha Gai

:: Thai chicken soup for a foggy day ::

and while I didn’t have galangal, the traditional root used in this dish…ginger warmed it beautifully.

and instead of the requisite kefir lime leaves….I used the zest of the limes. Everybody was happy.

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  
• 1 stalk lemon grass (pound the white ends to release the flavor)
  
• 2 teaspoons or more of red curry paste (found in asian section…most grocers carry it)
  
• 4 cups chicken broth
  
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (found in same section)
  
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (brown or honey will do fine)

• 3 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
  
• 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1 pound chicken breast sliced thin
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and zest of 1 lime
  
• salt to taste
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. sauté the chicken pieces till done, add the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stop and :: inhale :: the aroma. Slowly pour the chicken broth over the mixture, stirring continually. Stir in the fish sauce and coconut sugar; simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and mushrooms; cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the lime juice and zest; season with salt; garnish with cilantro. We love it served on brown rice.

Dare the fog to hang around…

Imbibe…Christmas-y, Tropical-y…

We don’t tend to do a classic red bow Christmas

in this tropical land of sun and color that is Florida

We happen to do pinks and oranges and gold gilded coconuts in this here casa.

 

So…say I…Why not add that  tropical twist on the classic Christmas eggnog?

Enter the Coquito.

Puerto Rico already figured this delicious concoction out…centuries ago.

It is true Feliz Navidad in a cup.

Slowly cooking egg yolks and evaporated milk over a double boiler

adding the quintessential tropical ingredients of

coconut milk, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla

and

white rum

Then blending…

and then…pouring into a cleaned wine bottle

and keeping in the fridge. Great to break out for guests.

Or continue to taste….and then REALLY get your decorating mojo going.

and hang glittery paper stars from the ceiling

as I may or may have not done.

Coquito:  helping your tropical flag to fly.

:: cha cha cha ::

Coquito…Puerto Rican Christmas eggnog

• 2 egg yolks, beaten
  
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  
• 1 (8 ounce) can cream of coconut
  
• 8 oz of coconut milk (I use light)
  
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (I tried it with non-fat)
  
• 1 cup white rum
  

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• some fresh grated ginger (you can omit this….I did)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Directions

1. In the top of a double boiler, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook over lightly simmering water until mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2. Transfer mixture to a blender, and add cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum cloves, cinnamon,ginger  and vanilla. Blend for about 30 seconds.
3. Pour into glass bottles, and chill overnight.
4. Decorate your house in wild Christmas colors. You will. Promise.

 

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Finding fall in the subtropics….and a pumpkin recipe…

It is always a different kind of fall

that we celebrate here in the subtropics

Our lemons are fruiting

variegated lemon…pink inside!

We feel the change in the climate…subtlety. We see the change in colors…Beautifully.

It rolls in much slower, more casually.

Daring you to notice.

Blue ginger

Paths throughout our jungle of a yard

I love finding some of these vestiges of seasonal changes and bringing them in the house

with some small pumpkin gourds in an old French baguette mold

Then using some vegetables of the season…creating a touch of fall for dinner

I used some canned pumpkin pasta sauce….but you could make your own

  

Pumpkin and Fontina Cheese Lasagna

Based on a recipe from here (click on photo)

Happy Fall in your corner of this wonderful world!

Tasty Eats…Shrimp Enchiladas with roasted sweet potatoes and parsnips…

So…Maybe this would make better fall fare.

but I live on the edge that way

The root veggies are really wonderful…and quite sweet and unexpected with the shrimp

and even on a summer day….they smell FABULOUS roasting in the oven.

Red onions, Parsnips and Sweet potatoes

mingled with olive oil, coriander, cumin and chile pepper

happily communing and roasting.

While they do that, we add a jalapeno (seeded), some garlic and cilantro to the

food processor I just use my blender…add some scallions,Roasted green chiles you know the little cans

and then some salsa verde or tomatillo sauce

This becomes a fresh…spicy little number

that we  warm  on the stove…

with some added cool and sophisticated  crema.

I love using mexican crema when I am making this kind of fare

It is smoother, sweeter, creamier than regular sour cream

There are a few different kinds we can buy in our grocery store.

Try it. Honestly…you will thank me.

Maybe even closer to a creme fraiche.

Then we take corn tortillas and quickly fry them in some hot oil

not to brown….just to blister 15 seconds at most.

But you can also omit the oil and just heat them in a hot skillet

Then… place some Queso Fresco in the middle of the tortilla….add the shrimp mixed with the roasted veggies…

roll

repeat.

add the extra sauce and cheese and crema on top

cook for 20…

and you are good to go

add a salad with some avocado

and a MUST have

for the kids

Jarritos….in a cold glass bottle.

There ya go.

It is delicious family consensus….give yourself some time to create it…
 

Do what I do….put on some GREAT latin jazz

and

enjoy the process…..

 

 

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The Recipe:

• 1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 12 ounces red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 2 small), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 tsp cumin (if ya wanna do it right…..roast whole seeds then grind them)
• 1/2 tsp of corriander (I love this slightly lemony cumin taste)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon coarse  salt
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 small jalapeño chile, halved, seeded
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup chopped green onions (about 6)
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles (preferably fire-roasted), drained
• 2 cups purchased salsa verde or mild tomatillo salsa
• 3/4 cup crema mexicana, crème fraîche, or sour cream, divided
• 16 ounces cooked peeled deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 12-15 5 1/2- to 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
• 10 ounces crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (about 2 cups)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Combine parsnips, sweet potatoes, and red onion in large bowl. Add spices , 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and salt; toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet (I like parchment paper or silpat on the cookie sheet). Roast vegetables until soft and browned in spots, turning occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375°F. With machine running, add garlic and jalapeño through feed tube of processor (or blender) and process until finely chopped. Add cilantro, green onions, and drained green chiles. Using on/off turns, process until coarse puree forms. Add salsa; process to blend. Transfer salsa mixture to large deep skillet. Add 1/2 cup crema and stir over medium-low heat just until warm (do not allow to boil). Remove from heat. Season salsa mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
Measure 1 cup roasted vegetables; set aside. Transfer remaining vegetables to processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarsely choppedhem ( the blender purees them more…but it is all good). Transfer to large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to incorporate evenly. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, cook until just softened, about 15 seconds per side (do not allow to brown). Transfer tortillas to paper towels to drain.
Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture over bottom of 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Place 1 tortilla on work surface; sprinkle generous 2 teaspoons crumbled cheese down center. Top with generous 1/4 cup roasted vegetable filling, arranging down center atop cheese. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and filling. Scatter reserved 1 cup roasted vegetables over enchiladas. Spoon remaining salsa mixture over. Sprinkle with any remaining cheese; drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup crema (whisking if necessary to loosen enough to drizzle). Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 20 minutes.

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