Cook Daily

Spanish Potato Omelet and Wilted Spinach Salad

Well doggone it. I done gone and dusted off the pots and pans and put one of them to use at last. After purchasing what I think was about 10 pounds of potatoes at the Melrose Place farmer's market on Sunday, I thought a Spanish omelet would be a good way to put them to use. Not to mention a healthier way (my first choice would have been scalloped, tossed in whipping cream and a good cheese), since I must be swim suit ready in a matter of days.

Usually I use a tried and trusted tortilla recipe from the Joy of Cooking, and I should have just stuck to that. Instead I used one from a new Cooking Light compilation I had ordered, (yes, I am still a member of that damn book club) mostly to justify the purchase, even though I questioned the recipe quantities. But in the end the "Light" in "Cooking Light" won me over, as I pondered things like beaches and swimming pools, and my pending close proximity to them.

To accompany the omelet, I thought a warmed spinach salad would be nice, and of course, my most faithful friends over at America's Test Kitchen had what I was looking for in The New Best Recipe.

The salad was wonderful, the tortilla, meh. I think one or two extra eggs and slightly less cooking time would have done me right. I really need to learn to listen to my instincts more. My concern about the potato to egg ratio did cause me to cut back slightly on the potatoes, but I still think it was a little off.

Here are the recipes:

Spanish Potato Omelet
(Cooking Light, August 2001, by way of the All New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook)

6 cups thinly sliced peeled baking potato (about 3 pounds)
2 cups thinly sliced sweet onion
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4  large eggs
Oregano sprigs (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Place the potato and onion in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons oil, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss well. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally with a metal spatula to prevent sticking.

3. Combine eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Stir in potato mixture; let stand 10 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour potato mixture into pan (pan will be very full). Cook 7 minutes or until almost set, gently shaking pan frequently.

4. Place a plate upside down on top of omelet; invert onto plate. Carefully slide omelet cooked side up into pan; cook 3 minutes or until set, gently shaking pan occasionally. Carefully loosen omelet with a spatula; gently slide omelet onto a plate. Cool. Cut into wedges. Garnish with oregano, if desired.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Olives and Lemon Vinaigrette
(From The New Best Recipe)

5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 ounces goat cheese, cut into small chunks
6 black olives, sliced thin

1. Place the spinach in a large bowl.

2. Cook the oil, shallot, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar in a small skillet over medium heat until the shallot is slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and swirl to incorporate.

3. Pour the warm dressing over the spinach, add the cheese and olives and toss gently with tongs to wilt. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes:
I cheated a little on some of the salad stuff. I didn't feel like slicing my olives, probably used more than 6, and added some green ones for good measure. I also used dried oregano in the dressing, as I didn't have any fresh.

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.

Salad with Herbed Baked Goat Cheese & Vinaigrette

The year after I graduated from college I lived in Paris as an au pair for 8 months. For one hour in the morning and 3-4 in the late afternoon/evening I looked after 4 children (7-year old twins, 5 and 3); the rest of the time I took French classes and roamed around the city with my Carte Orange. I'd give anything to step back inside those days for just a little bit, but that first week was sheer misery. I was away from my family for the first time; those kids weren't easy in the beginning (ok, they were shitheads); the high-school French that I thought would make me an instant conversationalist turned out to be useless--the little bit of it that I remembered sounding strangled and nasal. I found myself starting to count the days when I still had 7 months and 3.5 weeks to go. It didn't last long, and eventually the thought of leaving made me cry. But in that first week, I was a bit of a mess, doing my best to be brave. After one particularly rough morning trying to assert my authority in a completely incomprehensible blend of French and English, Loulou, the family's housekeeper (they were not poor) rescued me struggling with my first load of laundry in my first French washing machine. Her motherly aura overwhelmed and I found myself with tears in my eyes, moments before she clutched me to her generous bosom. That afternoon she sent for reinforcements in the form of her city-slicker daughter who took me out for lunch at a neighborhood bistro.  She was very bossy, briskly ordering for me in the face of my indecision, reassuring me that I would love what she had chosen. She was so right. I had never had goat cheese before, (aside from feta) let alone warmed goat cheese and I was a drooling addict, eating it every chance I got whilst there (which wasn't often, given my budget). Surprisingly, I never attempted to make it at home until now, but this was so easy and pretty foolproof. Well maybe not entirely. I did forget to flatten my goat cheese balls into disks before putting them in the freezer for the night, remembering as I was drifting off to sleep. I don't think it made a difference. Also, one or two of the rounds got damaged in transit from the baking sheet to the plate by way of the spatula, and it's the very one I chose to photograph. I was in a great hurry to stick my fork in this, you see. Recipe from America's Test Kitchen Herbed Baked Goat Cheese
3	ounces Melba toasts , white (about 2 cups)
1	teaspoon ground black pepper
3	large eggs
2	tablespoons Dijon mustard
1	tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1	tablespoon chopped fresh chives
12	ounces goat cheese , firm
	extra-virgin olive oil
Vinaigrette and Salad
2	tablespoons red wine vinegar
1	tablespoon Dijon mustard
1	teaspoon minced shallot
1/4	teaspoon table salt
6	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1	tablespoon fresh chives
	Ground black pepper
14	cups hearty greens (mixed), washed and dried

Goat Cheese

1. In food processor, process Melba toasts to fine even crumbs, about 1 1/2 minutes; transfer crumbs to medium bowl and stir in pepper. Whisk eggs and mustard in medium bowl until combined. Combine thyme and chives in small bowl.

2. Using kitchen twine or dental floss, divide cheese into 12 evenly sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; roll each ball in herbs to coat lightly. Transfer 6 pieces to egg mixture, turn each piece to coat; transfer to Melba crumbs and turn each piece to coat, pressing crumbs into cheese. Flatten each ball into disk about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick and set on baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 6 pieces cheese. Freeze cheese until firm, about 30 minutes. (Cheese may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 week.) Adjust oven rack to uppermost position; heat to 475 degrees.

3. Remove cheese from freezer and brush tops and sides evenly with olive oil. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is slightly soft, 7 to 9 minutes (or 9 to 12 minutes if cheese is completely frozen). Using thin metal spatula, transfer cheese to paper towel-lined plate and cool 3 minutes.

Salad

4. While goat cheese is baking, combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, and salt in small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in olive oil; season to taste with pepper.

5. Place greens in large bowl, drizzle vinaigrette over, and toss to coat. Divide greens among individual plates; place 2 rounds goat cheese on each salad. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes
Because you can freeze the goat cheese disks for a week, I only baked half of them and am saving the rest for another dinner next week.

White Bean Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

This picture is crappy, and it chaps my hide. Because this salad was so good. It's another from my new favorite cookbook, Fresh Every Day.

White Bean Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Salad
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 15 1/2 ounce cans navy or great northern beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups dried beans, cooked until tender
1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts packed in water, chopped
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced
8 pepperoncini, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Toss the onion and olive oil on a baking sheet with sides and roast until the onion is soft and light golden, 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

3. Place the drained beans in a large bowl. Scrape the onion into the bowl with the beans; add the artichoke hearts, olives, pepperoncini, parsley and 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and toss. Season with salt and pepper and add more vinaigrette to taste.

Vinaigrette

1/3 cup white wine vinegar
grated zest, and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup olive oil
seal salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Stir the vinegar, lemon zest and juice, garlic, tarragon, parsley, and paprika together in a small bowl. Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly until all is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container up to one week.

Cook's Notes:

1. I actually used cannellini beans. Not intentionally. I thought I was using navy, but the salad was still good, so I think you could substitute any white bean.

2. You'll notice a little cucumber in that picture. I love cucumber and like to eat it with everything. I had some sitting around needing to be chopped and eaten, so I threw that on the side.

Salade Nicoise

I have been meaning to post this forever. But the recipe seemed daunting to recreate here, so I've been putting it off, but it's time. Because this one made me quite proud. It's just a freaking salad, I know, but it looked so pretty in its platter. And was perfect for a blazing hot day LAST Sunday when the last thing I felt like doing was slaving over a hot stove. While there is some stove-topping required, it's just a little blanching and boiling here and there. Nothing you have to babysit while your face melts. 

For this I turned once again to my trusted America's Test Kitchen Compendium: The Best Recipe. I don't know where I'd be without this book. I have never, NEVER made anything from here that didn't turn out just like I breathlessly anticipated. If you're looking for an all-purpose staple cookbook (that also provides detailed, scientific accounts of why alternate cooking methods just don't work), this is the one. And while there are no great photos to salivate over, the detailed illustrations more than make up for it.

This recipe seemed a little fussy when I first looked at it, but of course they provided a compelling rationale for dressing everything separately, so I went ahead and did it that way. I think it made a difference,  As far as the explicit iinstructions for where to place each ingredient on the lettuce mound, well, I think it's safe to say I ignored most of that completely.

Vinaigrette

1/2 cup juice from 2-3 large lemons
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and ground black pepper

Salad

1/1/4 pounds red potatoes (about 10 small), scrubbed and quartered
salt
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
ground black pepper
2 medium heads Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
2  6 oz cans olive-oil packed tuna, drained
3 small vine-ripened tomatoes, each cored and cut into eighths
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
8 oz green beans, stem ends trimmed and halved crosswise
4 hard boiled eggs (peeled and quartered lengthwise)
1/4 cup nicoise olives
10-12 anchovy fillets (optional)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)

1. For the vinaigrette: Whisk lemon juice, oil, shallot, herbs and mustard in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

2. For the salad: Bring potatoes and 4 quarts cold water to boil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until the potatoes are tender when poked with a paring knife, 5-8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl (do not discard the cooking water). Toss the potatoes with the vermouth and salt and pepper to taste; let stand one minute. Toss in 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Set aside.

3. While the potatoes cook, toss the lettuce with 1/4 cup of vinaigrette in a large bowl until coated. Arrange a bed of lettuce on a large, flat, serving platter. Place the tuna in the now empty bowl and break up with a fork. Add 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and stir to combine. Mound the tuna in the center of the lettuce. Toss the tomatoes, red onion, 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, salt and pepper  to taste in the now empty bowl then arrange this mixture in another mound at the edge of the lettuce bed. Arrange the reserved potatoes in a separate mound at the edge of the lettuce bed.

4. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Return the water used to cook the potatoes to the boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the green beans. Cook until tender but crisp, 3-5 minutes. Drain the beans, transfer to the ice water and let stand until just cool, about 30 seconds. Dry the beans well on a triple layer of paper towels. Toss the beans, 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste in the now empty bowl; arrange in a separate mound at the edge of the lettuce bed.

5. Arrange the eggs, olives and anchovies (if using) in separate mounds at the edge of the lettuce bed. Drizzle the eggs with the remaining 2 tablespoons vinaigrette, sprinkle the entire salad with capers (if using) and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

1. I am fatigued by the number of times I just had to type "lettuce bed" "vinaigrette" and "mound" in one entry

2. I have never been a big fan of anchovies straight-up so I left out this optional ingredient out, (but I did use the capers).

3. I actually halved this recipe successfully, but made the suggested amount of dressing so that there would be leftovers. It was a very delicious dressing, one that I might use over and over.

4. The vermouth seemed like a weird thing to add to potatoes, but it made them so tasty. Who would  have thought?

Couscous & Garbanzo Salad

Like pretty much everyone I know, I've dabbled in a low carb lifestyle.  Usually before an event that has the promise of being photographed heavily. I'm one of those people who, although of normal weight, has absolutely no jawline (or any bone structure for that matter) to speak of in photographs. For me to have any photogenic angles to my face, I pretty much have to starve myself. What does that have to do with couscous? Yes, I know. Couscous is really a pasta by-product, but for some reason it is (or was in 2004, these things tend to change) deemed a perfectly acceptable, loveable carb by Dr. Arthur Agatson, of South Beach Diet fame. In a world in which I am deprived of baguette and chocolate, you can count on me clinging to couscous like i'ts my last salvation.  I learned to look forward to couscous the same way I look forward to a bag of salt and vinegar chips in more decadent dietary times.

Anyway, I actually really like the stuff, and am a sucker for a good couscous salad. So last week I turned to James McNair's Couscous & Garbanzo Salad from this book. Twas delicious, and made for excellent lunch leftovers on some lettuce.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Hot sauce (preferably North African Harissa, to taste)
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

• 2 cups quick-cooking couscous
• 3 cups cooked dried or canned garbanzo beans
• 2/3 cup dried currants, soaked in hot water until plumped, then drained
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion, including green tops
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• Ripe tomato slices for garnish (I skipped this)

1. Combine all ingredients for dressing, whisk well and set aside
2.  Prepare couscous according to package directions (or however you like to prepare couscous)
3.  Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans and transfer to a large bowl. Add the couscous, currants, sweet pepper, onion, mint and parsley and mix well.
4.  Add dressing and toss to distribute. Cover and let stand at room temperature for one hour, or cover tightly, refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature before serving (I have yet to master "overnight" preparation steps)
5.  Toast the pine nuts and sprinkle over the salad before serving (I actually just threw mine in the bowl with the rest of the stuff by mistake, as you can see in the picture taken during prep)

Thai Grilled Chicken

So I know tonight was supposed to be all about South African meatloaf, but it was just too labor intensive a project for a red carpet addict like me. In spite of the wonders of Tivo, I wanted to be front and center the moment it all started. So instead I made Thai Grilled Chicken using a recipe I adapted from a James McNair recipe from this book. I served it with white rice (my usual Cooks Illustrated method), and a cucumber relish (also from James McNair).

Here are the adapted recipes:

Marinade:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (you could also use other parts of the chicken if you're not a white meat fan)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (original recipe suggests fresh, but I wouldn't even know how to begin procuring that, aside from scaling the coconut tree itself and retrieving the fruit. Do they sell coconuts at the grocery store?)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons minced, fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (original recipe calls for 2, but I don't like to be too heavy handed with the fish sauce. To me, too much of it can ruin a good thing, by making it taste like the smell of wet dog, if you can imagine such a thing.)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1.  Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in large bowl. Reserve about 1/2 cup for basting chicken while it's grilling (James McNair reserves the marinade after the chicken has been removed from it, boils it and then uses that to baste the chicken.  I have to immediately throw away anything that raw chicken has been sitting in, but that's just me)
2.  Add chicken to marinade, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours
3.  Grill chicken until cooked, basting with reserved marinade. `

Cucumber Relish:

• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup thinly sliced seedless cucumber
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion rings
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh red Thai bird or other hot chile
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (I left this out since I didn't have any peanuts)
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

1.  In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup water with vinegar, sugar and salt. Place over medium heat and bring to boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat and let cool.
2.  A few minutes before serving add the cucumber, onion and chile to the cooled vinegar and toss well. Sprinkle with ground peanuts and cilantro and serve immediately.