Improv Miso Soup

I experienced a wonderful moment of inspiration that needed to be shared.

Weeknight dinners at my house are very casual and usually consist of two meals. To put it nicely, we don't favor the same foods so I make two different plates. This sounds impressive until I tell you that one is homemade and the other is either packaged or extremely simple. Most of the time I cook NH's meal and scrounge for mine, although to be fair sometimes it's the other way around. Last night was one of those nights. We took a trip to Costco the previous weekend- my first!- and NH bought a frozen bag of ravioli he had loved as a kid. At his request he ate this ravioli last night; a simple boiling and drizzle of olive oil and his meal was complete.

For me? I have a habit of surfing the net for recipes in the evenings and this often changes whatever plan I have for myself. At about 5:30pm I was struck with a sudden desire for some miso soup. And not the packaged kind- I wanted it fresh and homemade. I immediately jumped up to put a pot on the stove.

I made some miso soup last week with baby bok choy and shiitakes, so I had the base ingredients: miso paste, bonito flakes, and kombu to make the dashi broth. I looked up a refresher for the proportions and headed into the kitchen.

Dashi broth is the base for miso and other Asian soups. I followed the process for creating the base and improvised after that. I had garlic and ginger, but opted for some chopped shallots instead. I substituted orzo pasta for soba or udon, and added some carrots and corn near the end of cooking. I added about 2 Tablespoons of red miso; I decided this was probably a little too much and will use less next time (I have made the adjustment in the recipe below). I usually like to add a little soy sauce to my bowl so I put a Tablespoon in the pot off the heat. Conclusion? It was a deeply satisfying meal and cooking experience.

Nothing like a little improv to go with dinner.

Improv Miso Soup

1 large Shallot, chopped
3 cups water
2 pieces kombu
a handful bonito flakes
scant 1/4 cup orzo pasta
a handful of shredded carrots
1 Tablespoon red miso
3/4 cup frozen corn
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (optional)
2 green onions- green parts, chopped

Saute shallots in a bit of oil in a saucier pan. Add water, kombu, and bonito flakes. Bring to a simmer, do not boil; cook for 30 minutes. Remove the kombu and add the orzo pasta. Cook for 5 minutes and add the carrots and corn. Cook for another 2 minutes and add the red miso. Allow the miso to dissolve in the soup and remove from the heat. Stir in soy sauce if desired and green onions. Serve immediately.

There is nothing like being struck by inspiration and having it turn out well. I hope I've inspired you to put down your cookbook and give it a go in the kitchen on your own.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

I can hardly believe it...

I profess to a passion for making bread, but I have never posted about a single one I have made. I make it often, so why have I never written about it? I don't know the answer to that question; all I can do is try to make up for it.

Like many things, my interest in bread comes from my mom. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and she is a bread baker. I have an early memory of a large bowl of dough rising beneath the bed covers when I was three or four. During my teen years she bought a bread machine and production frequency and variety increased. Her interest grew and she'd make doughs in the machine which baked in the oven. We'd have sweet breakfast breads containing dried fruits or toasted nuts. At dinner there'd be french loaves or dense whole wheat ones. For a dessert, a bread filled with apples and glazed or a flat bread sprinkled with fruit.

My last year of college, Mom got a new bread machine. The old was still in fine condition and she passed it onto me.


My first experiences using it solo were less than successful; the first try at pizza dough ended with Round Table Pizza delivery. With experience I've developed a respectable repertoire, along with comfort in trying new recipes.

If you ask her, Mom will say her favorite recipe is the Italian Whole Wheat Bread she makes from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. She makes it often and is still working to perfect it to her satisfaction. This is the original book she used with the bread machine, and the one I know best. I received a copy of this book as a gift and it's my most-loved cookbook by far.

It contains my recipe for Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (see post), and this one- my favorite wheat bread for a sandwich or some butter and jam. I find white breads boring; this is dark and mysterious. It has great flavor and color, and it's all whole wheat flour so it is very dense.

Munch on a toasty slice of this with some sharp cheddar cheese and a little tomato- delicious.

100% Whole Wheat Bread
from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons Enova or Canola oil
1/4 cup light Molasses (not black strap)
4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tablespoons gluten
1 3/4 Teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon SAF yeast

Makes a 1 1/2 pound Loaf in the Bread Machine.

Place all the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine in the order listed. Set the crust to medium and the program for the Whole Wheat cycle and press start. When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the machine and place on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

Fresh bread will start to mold much sooner than store-packaged bread because of the lack of preservative. Store bread in the fridge for a few days, and in the freezer for a longer period of time.

Apricot Jammies

I like playful names for food. The word 'jammie' has two meanings for me. It's the word for the outfit one wears to bed, whether you are old or young. I still refer to my jammies, despite my twenty-five years.

'Jammie' also refers to the delicious center of these cookies. I'm a big fan of jam in many flavors, but I think apricot is best saved for cookies and desserts. Of course you can substitute any jam you prefer, but apricot is a classic combination with these cookies. I suggest a preserve that isn't too chunky as you may have difficulty putting the right amount of jam in each cookie. A seedless preserve is also preferable, although it is easy to remove seeds before adding the jam if that is what you have.

A simple cookie, they fill the house with the delicious aroma of butter and sugar as they bake.



Apricot Jammies

1 stick Butter at room temperature (1/4 pound)
1/2 cup granulated Sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose Flour
1/4 cup Apricot preserves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt; add the flour and mix, scraping down the sides to incorporate.

Using your palms, roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Make a depression in the middle of each cookie with your index finger. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of preserves on each cookie, careful not to overflow.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Bake until the edges are slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes 30 cookies

Introducing...

Meet Padma, the other lady of the house. She was brought home from the animal shelter immediately after our honeymoon last July. Her mother was found behind a fast food restaurant's dumpster, so Padma's birthname was Chicken Wing.
She is at my side whenever I'm in the kitchen, climbing up my leg as I work or watching closely from my kitchen stool. In the past 8 months she has become a major part of our daily lives, so it seems long overdue to introduce her to my blog. As a baby she was boundlessly energetic and curious, and not much has changed. Her limited diet consists of dry soy kitten food, although she does have an affinity for frozen yogurt, just like me.

Since moving into the new house, Padma's universe has expanded exponentially. Before her world was limited to the 800 square feet of our dark, nearly windowless apartment. I think she and I were suffering from a lack of Vitamin D since we've both really perked up in the last two weeks. Her new domain is the top of the couch in front of the window, where she can survey every new sight and sound.


From here she can monitor all outside activity: cars, gardeners, neighbor's pets, and the flag mounted on the house across the street. Her world used to consist of NH and I; her world has expanded just as ours has.

Impromptu Cinnamon Rolls

Still situating ourselves in the new house. It always takes time to adjust to a new space, and my kitchen still has a long way to go to be as I'd like it. We are lacking storage and serious prep space for the moment; in the meantime things are a little makeshift.


A traffic jam of kitchen appliances


My baking tools on the floor!


Beautiful stove and counters, but not enough space to work!

I'm not complaining, it works for now. Plans for a kitchen island and more work area are on the agenda.

Since the move, meals in the evening have been simple and involving a microwave. The exception is a visit from our friends and family, Katie and her husband Andrew. That night we got ourselves together and had some delicious pasta, salad, and bread.

The major reason for this lack of cooking is the awful stomach virus I contracted on Sunday afternoon. Until Thursday, I'd been relegated to either no food or some simple chicken broth with pastina. It reflects well on my scale, but it really isn't worth the trade without the joy of food.
I love the chicken soup I've been preparing for myself (chicken and vegetable broth, a little chopped carrot and leek, accini di pepe pastina; simmer in a saucier until tender and hot), but now that it's Friday I am looking forward to a proper dinner.

So tonight, I am making pizza! I haven't made any for a little while. How am I making this dough since my bread maker is still packed away on the floor (see kitchen pic #2)? I have some extra dough in the freezer from my last pizza. I had too much dough for the one pizza I want to make, and I didn't want to refreeze it. So this morning, I decided to take a shot at some cinnamon rolls with the pizza dough.

Cinnamon rolls are usually made with a yeasted dough. But what do I have to lose? I've never tried to make cinnamon rolls before so I'm started off with a rather unorthodox method.

I cut the extra dough and rolled it out to a rectangle. I didn't measure it out at all; I came up with 6 rolls. I found the rolls a little difficult to slice. They didn't rise too much but I didn't expect them to without the yeast. The smell was lovely, like the pizza dough aroma I expect with a cinnamon-sugar-butter addition. We'll see how they taste tomorrow morning. They may harden when reheated, but nothing a little butter won't fix. And knowing NH, there is always extra butter involved.

Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls

1 portion of Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, whatever you have on hand.
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2-3/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a round baking dish.

Roll out the dough to a rectangle, and brush with melted butter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle liberally. From the short side, roll the dough up and firmly pinch the seam together. Cut the rolls about 1/2 inch wide and place in the center of the baking dish. Build around the first roll in a circle; you probably won't fill the dish. If you like, brush a little extra melted butter on top and sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before eating, and all the way before placing in a storage container.



Pizza tonight? Assorted mushrooms with four Italian cheeses. Yum! With a little red wine, just the thing for my first meal returning to regular life.

Long Absence

Oh no! It's been more than a month! More than a month since I've baked! I've hardly cooked anything either. I promised myself such a gap wouldn't happen again and look what's happened.

My excuse? We moved! Friends, I write to you in the family room of our new house. Not apartment, but house. Since February 20th we were approved for a loan, closed, and moved this past weekend. Evenings were filled with paperwork and working out budgeting, followed by packing and packing and a little more packing. Evening meals have been salads or prepared foods, or the best quality frozen food we can find.

But it has all been worth it. We are in the new house and it's more beautiful than we could have though. My new kitchen is beautiful, with new appliances including a lovely gas stove. It will take a little while to get everything organized, and I'm a little lacking in storage space. Plans for a free standing kitchen island and a bookshelf for more storage, which I intend to devote to 'Baking Central.' Very exciting.

This is the season for Easter candy and Girl Scout cookies too, so NH has been partaking of those very happily and hasn't required any sweets, and he's been sweetly eating prepared foods during our move. I did bake some whole wheat dinner rolls right before the big packing began, those have been yummy.

I foresee some cupcakes on the horizon very soon...
Please stay tuned, I shall be back. :-)

Recipe: Baklava

Adventures in Ancestral Dessert (Part I in a Series?)


I am half-Greek; Cypriot to be more specific. Pop's ancestors are from Cyprus, an island off the coast of Turkey. It's an independent country but half is occupied by peoples of Greek ancestry, the other half by Turkish. It has a long and sometimes violent history; my grandparents came to the United States in the 1950s at which point the British occupied the country.

The Greeks, Turkish, Lebanese, Persians, and Jordanians all share dishes that vary slightly from region to region. The shish kebab and keftedes Grandpa make have almost identical counterparts in these cultures. Grandma's reportoire of Greek desserts when I was a child included kourabiedes, which bear striking resemblance to Mexican wedding cookies. It's fascinating how food crosses regions and cultures, truly binding us together. But, I digress.

Baklava is not a dessert Grandma made often in my childhood. She made other filo desserts including galaktoboureko (filo filled with custard and covered in fragrant sugar syrup- think French mille feuille) and kadaifi (shredded fillo rolled around chopped nuts and spices, bathed in syrup). The aforementioned kourabiedes cookies are the favorite of my brothers, who'd happily fluff powdered sugar everywhere.
Despite that, baklava is probably the most well-known Greek sweet. NH really enjoys it and orders horrid squares of it at any Mediterranean restaurant, including the awful chain down the street from our home. He has hinted to me that he would like it if I made some sometime.

It's not difficult to make; it's merely time-consuming. I decided on a whim to make some baklava one morning, as a surprise. Filo dough is sold frozen and must be thawed for several hours before use. Because of my whim, I did not leave enough time for this step and it's crucial to keeping the dough in tact. I muscled through ok, but I don't recommend this. It took even longer to assemble the baklava and it was definitely tricky. In the future I will surely plan ahead, but in the end you couldn't tell I had made this mistake.

There are many recipes for baklava, but they have mostly minor differences. The nuts may vary and the syrup flavorings may change by taste/region, but most contain the same ingredients and measurements. Baklava is definitely worth making at home rather than purchasing. It's best when very fresh.

Many tastes vary on how much syrup to use; I'm convinced people think a baklava is good or bad based on their preference for syrup and how much the particular cook used. I prefer mine with much less syrup and a bit of crunch to the toasted filo and nuts. NH likes lots of syrup, a soggy and sweet pastry with little or no crunch. It might take you a few tries to determine what you and yours prefer.

Homemade Baklava

1 package of frozen Filo dough (16 ounces), defrosted in the fridge for about 8 hours
1 pound chopped nuts*
1 cup Butter, melted
1 tsp ground Cinnamon



1 cup water
1 cup white Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Honey
optional additional flavorings: lemon zest, orange blossom water, rose water

*Walnuts are the traditional baklava filling. However, I find a combination of nuts provides more complexity of flavor. I used almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, but you could also use pistachios or even pecans. Any combination of what you have on hand could work.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 glass baking dish with a pastry brush.

Process the nuts and cinnamon in a food processor until fine, and set aside. Unroll the filo dough; if needed cut the whole stack to fit your dish.
Place a dampened cloth over the filo dough to prevent it from drying out. Make sure to recover every time you take another sheet from the pile.
Place two sheets in the pan and brush with butter thoroughly. Sprinkle some of the nut mixture over the dough. Place two more sheets of filo over the nuts and brush with butter. Repeat until all of the nut mixture has been used. Place any remaining filo on top and brush with butter.
With a very sharp knife, cut the baklava in diamond or square shapes, making sure to cut all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 50 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
To make the sugar syrup, boil the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla, honey, and any other flavorings you choose. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the syrup thickens slightly. Allow to cool a little.
Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour the desired amount of syrup. The whole batch will create the soggy sweet baklava that some prefer; use about 1/3 to 1/2 if you prefer a crunchy, more dry pastry. Allow to cool.

Serves 18

Valentine's Day Dinner- Butternut Squash and Vanilla Bean Risotto

Valentine's Day was yesterday, so I made a special dish for NH and I. One of our favorite indulgences is risotto because it's rich and takes some time to prepare well. This is a recipe written by Giada de Laurentiis; I thought it sounded interesting so I saved it to try on Vday. It was superb! I did change it a little by roasting the butternut squash instead of cooking it in the vegetable broth. It gave it a little bit of crusty crunch that I liked. It serves 4 as a main course.

Butternut Squash and Vanilla Bean Risotto

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
4 cups Vegetable broth
1 Vanilla Bean
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Parmesan, to taste
chopped chives.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the butternut squash cubes with about 1 Tablespoon olive oil and some salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, tossing at least once. Set aside.

Warm the broth in a saucepan over medium high. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add these to the broth as well as the whole vanilla bean. Turn the heat to low and cover to keep warm.
Saute the onion in the butter until tender, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of broth, stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Make sure to add the vanilla seeds as well, which may clump in the broth. Continue adding the broth until it's gone, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the squash, and Parmesan and salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve with a wine that you love.

Recipe- Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of those "Hated as a kid and didn't realize what I was missing" foods for me. I always passed on the sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving in my youth in favor of the regular potato dish. They were too vivid, too different, too sweet, too orange.
Now regular white potatoes seem dull and flavorless in comparison. The intense flavor that comes from roasting these beauties is unbelievable.

In general I am a fan of roasting vegetables. Their flavor is intensified and the carmelized outlayer is coveted while the creamy interiors are practically seductive. I've noticed that even vegetable-haters (ahem- NH :-) will praise and gobble them up. Usually all they need is a drizzle of olive oil and some salt, about 30 minutes in a really high oven until they slightly char.

But when I came across this recipe for sweet potatoes dusted with cinnamon and a little sugar, I had to try it. I've mentioned my addiction to that particular spice before so I knew this couldn't be anything but yummy. Almost like candy, this would be a nice experiment, a departure from my usual methods.



Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2 Tablespoons Walnut Oil
1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 Tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar blend (double the amount if using regular brown sugar)
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
A pinch of ground pepper

*Optional: chopped Pecans and/or crumbled Goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss sweet potatoes in the walnut oil and place in a baking dish. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing in the middle for even cooking. In the meantime, combine the brown sugar blend, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and optional pecans if using. After 20 minutes, sprinkle the potatoes with the brown sugar mixture. Roast another 10-15 minutes, tossing in the middle once again. Serve immediately or allow to cool a bit. Serves 3 as a side dish.

On a whim I decided to add some pecans to the dish right before adding the spices. This addition was delicious but not obligatory.
Since I was eating these sweet potatoes as my dinner I wanted to add a little something extra for protein, so I topped my bowl with a small amount of crumbled goat cheese. The flavor combination was wonderfully salty-sweet. Between the two I'd repeat the goat cheese before the pecans due to the nice contrast it made.

Update: Lunch, One Day Later
I prepared a salad with greens, shredded cabbage and carrot, cucumber, and feta cheese with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar. I decided to add a little of the leftover sweet potatoes; not a combination I would have normally thought of but it was delicious! I plan to have the same lunch tomorrow, using the remainder of the potatoes. :-)

I am
so sorry
But
I ate
the entire
Apple
pie
I made.
I could
not
help it
it was
so
Scrumptious