Cook Daily

Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

My culinary theme for the week is the use of ingredients I already have in the pantry and the fridge. Normally I shy away from quinoa. A bad experience a few years ago ruined me, but now I know it's all about the lengthy rinsing of this temperamental, potentially loamy-tasting little grain. I had an unopened bag of it waiting patiently on the pantry shelf and in the interest of doing a little clean-out to start over (Hello Surfas!) I decided to take a chance.  I think this is a great recipe. When I was into South Beach living a few years ago, I made many a whole grain salad. They all started to bore me after a while. Couscous, garbanzo beans, scallions, cucumber, a basic vinaigrette. Blah. This one had everything I wanted. I left out the tofu. As much as I like it deep fried in a spicy, garlicky sauce when someone else is serving me, I'm not one to have it lying around the house. And I'm not really one for tofu in salads anyway, so I would have left it out no matter what. I also substitued lima beans for shelled edamame, which was actually a Cooking Light suggestion. I've taken this to work for a few lunches this week, but there was still a trough of it left today. That trough is now a clean blue bowl sitting in the drying rack, so I can only imagine that it was a hit with the other person who lives here. 

Quinoa & Black Bean Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

Recipe from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups organic vegetable broth
1 (14 ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen baby lima beans
4 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1. Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until broth is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat.

2. Place tofu on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté tofu 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; cool completely.

3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, basil, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Stir in quinoa.

4. Cook lima beans according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Cool completely. Add the lima beans, tofu, chopped tomato, green onions, chopped carrot, and black beans to quinoa mixture; stir gently to combine. Store, covered, in refrigerator until ready to serve.

P.S. I know. All my Chinese faves are in the 415. All that means is that I still have some culinary exploring to do here in L.A.

Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad

I wanted to make this as soon as I saw the recipe. It's from the September 2006 issue of Gourmet, and can be found on Epicurious. Because we had some Haloumi cheese in the fridge, I grilled some of that to serve with it rather than the suggested ricotta salata.  I also left out the red onions. Sort of inadvertently. I'm not a big fan of them raw and thought about roasting some along with the eggplant and zucchini, but then forgot. This was really good.

Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad

1 1/2 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 lb zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped scallion (from 1 bunch)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz)
1 (14-oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth (1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Accompaniment:  1 (1/2-lb) piece ricotta salata, cut crosswise into thin slices

Method:

Roast eggplant and zucchini:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread in 2 oiled large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Combine vegetables in 1 pan and cool, reserving other pan for cooling barley.

Cook barley:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to reserved shallow baking pan and spread to quickly cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Make dressing and assemble salad:
Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well. Serve with cheese slices.

Cook's Note:
Salad can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Return to room temperature before serving.

    Makes 4 (main course) or 8 (side dish) servings.

 

Red Beans and Rice

Beans and rice is something I never get tired of. This is from the Whole Foods cookbook. I don't often (i.e. never) use dry beans in a recipe. I always think it's going to be a hassle, but it wasn't one at all.

Red Beans and Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound cooked andouille sausage, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large green pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I teaspoon)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 bay leaf
8 cups chicken stock or cold water
2 cups tomato juice
1 cup small dried red beans
1/2 cup basmati rice
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the andouille sausage, and saute for 1 minute.

2. Stir in the onion, celery, pepper, and garlic, and saute until the vegetables are tender.

3. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the dried thyme, basil, oregano, paprika, and bay leaf; cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the stock, tomato juice, and red beans. Bring the chowder to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook uncovered for about 45 minutes, until the beans are tender but have not lost their shape.

5. Stir in the rice, add fresh thyme sprigs, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked.

6. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook's Notes

1. I used chicken andoille sausage because that's what Gelson's had. Next time, it's all about something four-footed.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Risotto again. (I told you I loved the stuff). And this was one of those lucky nights when I had not planned to make this and was whining incessantly about wanting to cook but not wanting to go to the store, only to discover that I had all of these ingredients in my kitchen (even the sage, thanks to patioherbgarden2006) . It's an Epicurious recipe, and can be found over here. It  looks sort of goopy and disgusting in this picture (maybe it wasn't necessary for the rice grains to actually touch the lens when I took this photo), but it was really quite good.

Cook's Notes:

1. I used the Trader Joe's pre-cut risotto that I had bought a few days earlier when I ran in there to get some staples. As much as I hate dealing with a butternut squash in its original, uncut version, and as often as I come pretty close to needing a trip to Cedars Sinai to stitch up my hand every time I do it, it might actually be worth it. This squash was kind of bland. Roasting it helped, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. Of course that may have nothing to do with the fact that it was pre-cut, but I'm willing to bet some of the flavor might have been destroyed while it waited patiently in its little microwaveable baggie.

Mushroom Risotto

I usually make risotto with fresh mushrooms, but it's great to have those little packets of dried ones on hand when you don't have any fresh and you must, must have mushroom risotto for dinner. This recipe comes from a book called eat drink live that I found at Anthropologie. It was shortly before I left San Francisco, shopping with my friend Jamie. I spent so long salivating over the pictures in the book while she was trying on clothes that she ended up buying it for me. Sweet friend that she is. So often I meant to cook for her, but since she has always lived within delivery distance of some of San Francisco's best Chinese food our many dinners were ususally about wine, hot and sour soup, seaweed chicken and TiVo.

I love making risotto. It was one of the first things I learned to cook as an almost full-time babysitter of a very discerning two year old, many moons ago. It was her favorite thing to eat so I made it for her all the time.  I'm sure it will make its appearance in different flavors many times over here, but here's one recipe:

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 oz dried mushrooms (chanterelle, morel, shiitake or porcini)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups risotto rice
1/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus a bit extra, to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the stock and dried mushrooms in a saucepan and let soak for 10 minutes. Then slowly heat the stock to simmering point. Strain the mushrooms and return the stock to saucepan to keep hot.

2. Melt the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and onion and cook over a medium heat until softened but not browned. Add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated with butter and oil.

3. Add a ladle of hot stock to the rice and mix well. When the rice has absorbed the liquid, add another ladle of stock and stir well. Repeat with the remaining stock, cooking the risotto for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces as necessary.

4. Add the soaked mushrooms, white wine or vermouth, the remaining butter, and the grated Parmesan to the risotto. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix gently over the heat for 2 minutes. Serve with a separate dish of the shaved or grated cheese to sprinkle over the top.