Monday Recipes

Enjoy!

CUCUMBER GRATIN

This comes from page 73 of the September 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “This dish takes its inspiration from Julia Child’s recipe for baked cucumbers in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Serves 6.

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2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 English cucumbers or 3 garden cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 2- x 1/2-inch strips (4 cups)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh dill

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes, or until beginning to brown.

Toss cucumbers in 13- x 9-inch baking dish with 1 Tbs. brown butter, salt, and sugar. Bake 25 minutes.

Remove dish from oven, and preheat broiler. Add chives, tarragon, dill, and lemon zest to cucumbers, and toss to coat. Season with pepper, if desired.

Stir together breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and remaining 1 Tbs. brown butter in bowl. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over cucumbers. Broil 2 minutes, or until crumbs are golden brown.

nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 85; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Cholesterol: 13 mg; Sodium: 355 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: 2 g

BROILED TOFU AND STEAMED MUSTARD GREENS WITH SPICY MANGO SAUCE

This comes from the January 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Mustard greens serve as a bed for broiled tofu with a hot mango sauce. Other greens to try in this recipe: Asian mustard greens, broccoli raab, Chinese broccoli, or collard greens.” Serves 8.

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2 Tbs. canola oil

1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)

3/4 cup hot mango chutney, such as Patak’s

1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)

2 16-oz. pkgs. extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

2 12-oz. bunches mustard greens, thick stems removed

Heat oil in medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in mango chutney and tomato. Cover, and simmer 5 minutes more. Keep warm.

Preheat oven to broil, and place oven rack in highest position. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Halve each tofu block crosswise to make pieces the size and thickness of sandwich bread. Cut each tofu piece into 4 triangles. Brush each tofu triangle on both sides with mango mixture (it’s OK if some bell pepper and onion bits stick to tofu); season with salt and pepper, if desired; and place on prepared baking sheet. Broil 4 to 5 minutes. Flip triangles, and brush with more mango mixture. Broil 4 to 5 minutes more, or until browned and crispy.

Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil in large pot. Add mustard greens, cover, and steam 5 to 7 minutes or until greens are crisp-tender, turning occasionally with tongs to make sure greens cook evenly.

Divide mustard greens among serving plates. Top each serving with 2 tofu triangles, and drizzle with1/4 cup mango sauce.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 246; Protein: 14 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 29 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 490 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 22 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

SUMMER PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI, RICOTTA AND BASIL

This is from David Tanis in a recent New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. David wrote, “A summer pasta should be simple and fresh, ideally made with vegetables straight from the garden or market. Look for the best artisanal ricotta; top-quality ingredients make all the difference here.” Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 pounds zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic

1 ounce basil, about 2 cups loose leaves

1 pound ziti or other dry pasta

8 ounces ricotta, about 1 cup (see recipe, which follows)

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

2 ounces grated Parmesan, pecorino or a mixture, about 1 cup, plus more for serving

Preparation

Put a pot of water on to boil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep onions from browning. Add zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, basil and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Salt the pasta water well and put in the pasta, stirring. Boil per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.

Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for 1 minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately.

FRESH RICOTTA

This comes from Melissa Clark, also in a recent New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Why make homemade ricotta? Because you can. And because the results are so much better than most of the packaged stuff you can buy, especially at the supermarket. Making it yourself is also less expensive than buying fresh ricotta at a fancy gourmet market.” Yield: About 1 1/2 cups; Time: About 30 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 quart whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup plain whole yogurt

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Line a colander with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Bring to a simmer and heat until the mixture just begins to curdle. Pour mixture into colander. (For a drier ricotta with bigger curds, continue to simmer 1 to 2 minutes longer until mixture completely separates.)

Stop draining when mixture begins to look like ricotta, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how dry you like it. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks.

CORN MUFFINS

This comes from Ina Garten of The Food Network show Barefoot Contessa. Total Time: 55 minutes; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Inactive Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 12 muffins; Level: Easy.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/corn-muffins-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup medium cornmeal

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 extra-large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, and eggs. With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until they are just blended. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are crisp and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from the pan.

SPICY SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATOES AND FRESH ARUGULA “ALLE CAMPANE”

This comes from Danette St. Onge, About.com’s Italian Food expert. Danette wrote, “During the time I lived in Florence, Italy, one of my favorite casual restaurants in town was Le Campane, a spacious, bustling place in Borgo La Croce. While it is primarily popular as a low-key pizzeria, one of my favorite dishes there was from the pasta menu: their version of the classic, and extremely basic, dish spaghetti al aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and red chili pepper) -- with a fresh and intriguing twist. Fresh cherry tomatoes are lightly sauteed in olive oil together with the garlic and red chile pepper, and finely chopped fresh arugula and chives top the hot pasta -- their freshness, tang, and piquant bite play off of the spiciness of the red chile pepper flakes. This is a great dish and one that I make often: it's delicious and satisfying but also quick, easy and nutritious -- kind of like having your pasta and salad together in one dish!” Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Yield: about 2-3 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile pepper flakes (you can adjust depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be)

1/2 pound spaghetti (or any other long, thin pasta)

1 cup very ripe cherry or cocktail tomatoes (about 8-10 cherry tomatoes or 4-6 cocktail tomatoes), stemmed and halved

1/2 cup finely minced fresh chives

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh, wild arugula

Fine sea salt, to taste

Preparation

Place a large pot of 6 to 8 cups water to boil over high heat, covered.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute briefly until lightly browned, less than 1 minute. Add the chile pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat to medium and saute until tomatoes are heated through and slightly softened and the oil takes on a reddish-orange color, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

When the water reaches a rolling boil, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coarse salt to the pot and add the pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain well.

Toss the drained pasta in the garlic-tomato mixture until evenly distributed and well coated, adding a little more extra-virgin olive oil as necessary if it seems too dry. Season to taste with salt, then divide into portions and transfer to serving dishes.

In a medium bowl, stir the finely chopped chives and arugula together until mixed well. Sprinkle over the pasta, dividing evenly between the portions, and serve immediately.