Mediterranean Orzo Salad

So here's something you won't hear often:  This is a recipe inspired by one of my favorite dishes from my college dining hall.  I will say that apparently our Dining Services has won many awards, so the food was probably on average slightly better than most other college's food.  Not that it didn't stop us from complaining at the time.

But this dish was one thing I was always happy to see on the menu.  It is simple in concept - orzo, tomatoes, spinach, and feta - but hard to get the flavors just right, as I discovered from trying to make this several times.  But I think I got it down...  For the uninitiated, orzo is like what you'd get if macaroni and rice had a baby.  It is pasta in a grain shape, about 1/2 inch long. 

Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Serves 6
by Me, inspired by PUDS
Printable Version


Ingredients:
1/2 pound orzo
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved if large
1/3 pound feta, crumbled
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil  (or fresh if you have it, see below)
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Method:
Add orzo to a pot containing generously salted boiling water.  Cook according to directions on package.
Place spinach in a large colander.  When orzo has finished cooking, pour the pot's contents over the spinach, allowing the boiling water to wilt the spinach.  Shake out all liquid and pour orzo and spinach into a large bowl.
Stir in all remaining ingredients.  Taste for salt.  If feta or lemon was particularly mild you may wish to add up to an additional tablespoon white wine vinegar.

Verdict?  Well, you know I like this lots.  I hope it isn't just my nostalgia for college days talking.  Give this a try and let me know!  This is a great dish to bring to a party, especially in these summer months where you want something light but also filling.  I highly recommend you try this with fresh basil if you have it available - use about 1/4 cup and either cut it into fine ribbons chiffonade-style, or tear it into pieces and stir it in.  That will really take the dish to the next level, I promise you.

Crock-Pot Yogurt

They're alive!  Bacteria.  Everywhere.  Doesn't sound tasty, right?  But this is a post about awesome bacteria.  Yogurt cultures.  "Live and active" as the yogurt tubs tout.  This is all about the life's work of those little buggers: making us yogurt.  In a Crock-Pot.  With about two minutes worth of (human) work.

I don't remember how I stumbled across this, but the idea hails entirely from Stephanie, the self-proclaimed "Crock-Pot Lady" over at her blog A Year of CrockPotting.  That post has spawned many comments and other blog posts, with people reporting on results of their various experiments such as using lowfat milk, soy milk, or even coconut milk as starters, different ideas for how to thicken the yogurt, etc.

There are two ingredients - milk and yogurt.  (Yes, yogurt - we need the first round of those live cultures to come from somewhere.)  Buy plain (as in sugar and flavor free) yogurt from the store for your first batch; use your own yogurt for subsequent batches.  Some of the various websites recommend Stonyfield Farm brand for your starter yogurt, claiming it has a higher level of active cultures.  That's what I used and had success on my first try so I'll recommend you do the same.   As for the milk - I used 2% and got a reasonably thickened yogurt.  You can, of course, use whole milk if you don't mind the extra calories.

Incredible Crock-Pot Yogurt
Conceived of by Stephanie at A Year of CrockPotting
Makes approximately 1/2 gallon
Printable Version


Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 cup yogurt
Optional - 1 envelope nonfat dry milk powder

Method:
Pour milk into Crock-Pot.  Cover and heat on low for 2 1/2 hours.
Turn off/unplug Crock-Pot.  Let cool for 3 hours.
Remove a small amount of the warmed milk and pour into a bowl.  Whisk in the yogurt and return the mixture to the pot.  Stir to combine.  Optional - stir in envelope of dry milk powder.
Wrap Crock-Pot in a heavy towel and let sit for at least six hours.  Longer periods will produce a more dense, tart yogurt.
Refrigerate yogurt to store; it will keep for about two weeks.

Verdict?  Amazing.  The yogurt was very creamy and mildly tart.  None of that artificial aftertaste you get from the store bought stuff.  None of the weird gluey consistency or artificially thickened texture.  You can tell that this is the real stuff.  I'm not going back to store-bought.  There's no reason to, what with the fact that this can be made overnight.  This is cheaper, super easy,  tastes better, uses less plastic, and is kind of fun!

If you prefer sweetened, flavored yogurt, then what is nice about making your own is that you can control exactly what goes in - i.e., no artificial colors or flavors.  Go beyond just sugar and try honey or maple syrup.  To add fruit flavors just puree the fruit and stir it in.  Or even easier - just add a spoonful of your favorite jam to each serving of yogurt and stir it in as you go.  The flavors you can make are basically limitless.

And check out the savings:  1/2 gallon of Stonyfield yogurt (2 quart containers) is $12 at my local store.  1/2 gallon of milk is $1.90, an envelope of milk powder is $1, making 1/2 gallon of homemade yogurt more than 4 times cheaper than store-bought.  With the completion of my third batch I have now more than made back the $20 I spent to buy the Crock-Pot.  Excellent.

Update:  I just finished making my third batch of yogurt and still am very happy with it.  Using just 2% milk yields a somewhat thin but still quite good  yogurt.  You have two options for thickening your yogurt:  1) add the packet of milk powder as described in the recipe, or 2) strain out the whey.  To do this, line a strainer with cheesecloth and fill with your yogurt.  Set the strainer atop a large bowl and refrigerate for several hours.  The whey (the sticky liquid that rises to the top of your little yogurt containers) will drain out, leaving you with something like Greek-style yogurt, slightly thicker than sour cream.  This has a great mouth feel, very velvety on the tongue.  You can also stir back in some of the whey later if you feel the yogurt is too thick.  Save the rest of the whey to use in place of water in baking.  If you're going to stir in fruit or liquid flavoring, I recommend you use the straining approach to thickening, as the powder-thickened yogurt will begin to thin the more you stir it.

Scallion and Tofu Tortillita

I love wandering through the produce aisle at my food coop, as I always see something new.  The new discovery this week was something labeled "purple scallion."  Always a sucker for things in color, I buy a bunch.  I may be imagining things, but I think it has a bit more of a mild taste than the scallion I'm used to.

The dish I chose to use the scallion in - called a tortillita - was inspired by this NY Times article.  I love regular tortillas - not the flour/corn flat bready things you get with Mexican food, but the Spanish eggy version.  The tortillita is almost like a cross between a flour tortilla and an egg tortilla.  Almost.  Its unique taste comes from a unique ingredient - chick pea/garbanzo bean flour.  This is actually easier to find in stores than you might think.  I was even able to find it at my neighborhood mini-grocery.  Bob's Red Mill is the brand I found, so look around your store's section of their products. 

Modifications from the original:  This recipe just screams out for changes.  Look at the tortillita as a way to make use of leftovers in you refrigerator.  Although my recipe calls for baked tofu, you omnivores can use cooked meat/fish/seafood instead; the veg-heads can seitan or tempeh instead.  And you need not limit the vegetable to just scallion, try it with anything you have on hand from regular onions to leafy greens.  I think thin asparagus would also be great.  Change up the herbs you use, too - use whatever you have on hand, get creative!  Also - if you have any gluten-sensitive friends, this is a great dish to make for them, just replace the regular flour called for in the recipe with more chick pea flour.  (I actually think I might like the flavor of the tortillita made only with garbanzo flour better, though it is a bit less chewy.)  It is great for vegans, too~

I also thought this could use a tiny bit of an herbed mayonnaise sauce, because when I was in Spain I lived in an area where folks enjoyed their tortillas with mayo and now the two are inextricably linked in my mind.

Scallion and Tofu Tortillita
Inspired by Mark Bittman
Serves 4
Printable Version

Ingredients:
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup scallion, chopped
1/2 cup baked tofu, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (regular or vegan)
olive oil, as needed

Method:
In a medium bowl, combine flours, salt, and pepper.  Stir in about 3/4 a cup of water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a somewhat thin batter.  Use more water as needed; if you are using all garbanzo bean flour, you will need a bit over a cup of water.  Set aside and allow batter to rest as long as you can, up to an hour or two if available.
Meanwhile, chop the garlic, tofu, and herbs.  Stir 1 tablespoon of the parsley into the mayonnaise and set aside.
When ready to prepare tortillitas, lightly coat the bottom of a large non-stick skillet with olive oil.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat until oil shimmers.  Add green garlic, tofu, and remaining parsley into batter and stir to combine.
Pour half the batter into the prepared skillet and use a spoon to spread the tofu around to make sure it is evenly distributed.
Cook until edges are set, about 2-3 minutes.  Use a large spatula to flip the tortillita.  Cook other side for another 2-3 minutes more, until bottom is set.  Serve immediately, topped with a dollop of the sauce.

Verdict?  The best thing to happen to leftovers since the microwave.  Seriously.  It takes very little time to make this.  Although I recommend letting the batter sit for a while, you certainly won't lose much if you just go ahead and cook it right away.  This is a great way to take a few scraps in the refrigerator and make a great light meal, especially when served with a vinaigrette-topped green salad incorporating the herbs you chose for the tortillita...yum.

Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Salad with Pomegranate

AZEats recipe #3: So I'm reading over the list of foods my friend in Azerbaijan said she had available and one jumps out at me - parsnips. I think I have only been served parsnips once in my entire life, and I couldn't tell you what they taste like to save my life. Oh wait, those were turnips. Yeah, zero parsnip meals. So of course - I must tackle the parsnip challenge.

But first I had to buy some. I go to the grocery store and see some white root looking things. Could they be it? No signage. I look closer and see "parsley root" - close but not quite. Eventually I find them (signed), looking like a pile of carrots that Bunnicula attacked. I realize that I don't know what to look for in a parsnip. They all look a bit blah. I pick out the firm ones with fewer obvious defects and bring them home...where they sit for over a week in my veggie crisper because I've been too busy or too out of town to cook.

I finally got some time to cook them (thankfully parsnips store well), but then the problem became - how do I cook them? Googling for parsnip recipes yields lots of soup recipes and parsnip purees, but that isn't what I'm looking for. I finally find a recipe on the Food Network site that at least gives me an idea. It involves orange and ginger flavoring. And ooh - it uses pomegranate, another ingredient widely available in Azerbaijan. Let's do it.

Modifications from the original: This recipe was one where you read it and knew right away it would need some modifications. First off - it practically called for more onion than other veggies combined. Also - pomegranate isn't in season around here right now, so instead of topping the dish with pomegranate seeds, my version of the recipe has you reduce pomegranate juice to create a "dressing" of sorts. It really worked well and gave the whole dish some neat red highlights as well as additional flavor. But I think pomegranate seeds would be best of all, so go for the real stuff, you folks in Azerbaijan.

Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Salad with Pomegranate
Serves 4 (as a side dish)
Adapted from Food Network Kitchens
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 large carrots (about 12 ounces)
2 parsnips (about 10-12 ounces)
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
Zest of 1/2 orange
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup peanuts
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (see note below re substitution)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup pomegranate juice OR seeds of 1 ripe pomegranate

Method:
Preheat oven to 350.
Peel parsnips and carrots and chop into pieces about 1/2 to 3/4 inch on each side.
Mix all ingredients except the cilantro and pomegranate, making sure the oil and spices are evenly distributed.
Pour into a roasting dish and put in oven. Cook for about 40 minutes or until parsnips and carrots are soft, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
While the veggies are roasting, pour the peanuts into a shallow dish (a pie tin works perfectly) and toast in oven for about 5 minutes, or until slightly browned.
To make the pomegranate "dressing" - Pour the pomegranate juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until juice has at least halved in volume and begun to thicken. Remove from heat.
Stir cilantro leaves into vegetables. Top with the peanuts and drizzle with the pomegranate (or sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top). Serve while still slightly warm.

Verdict? Sweet, tangy and peppery good. Parsnips are a totally different taste than I expected, crisp with a hint of licorice (but just a hint - I don't like licorice but the parsnips are good). Next time I might consider omitting the black pepper and using cayenne instead, perhaps adding a bit of honey. But I certainly enjoyed it as is.

While eating the leftovers cold over a salad today, it struck me that a dollop of goat cheese might be nice on it as well. Just an idea~ Oh, and if you're one of those (weird!) people who don't like cilantro (it is genetic, I know, I just love the stuff), you might try substituting with flat leaf parsley.

Bonus ingredient tip: Ginger (in the root form you buy in the produce section) keeps well in the freezer. Just wrap it tightly in plastic and store inside an airtight bag. When you need to use some, peel the skin off of the frozen root using a paring knife and grate it with a Microplane or other fine grater. This way you'll always have it when you need it and won't waste money buying a whole root just to use a small amount.

Parsnip picture above by Gaetan Lee, used pursuant to Creative Commons License.