Orange Cauliflower with Parmesan from @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl aka Avery:

I love to find new things in the grocery store, like a seasoning I haven't used or a cheese I've never tasted. I don't go as far as purchasing some creepy looking fish with tentacles—who knows where that thing has been?—but I can go out on a limb for veggies.

So there I was, walking down the vegetable aisle, ready to pick up a few zucchini when I spied orange or "cheddar" cauliflower. Okay, it looked sort of weird, not quite alien, but weird. However, it was also pretty and goes with the ringing in of autumn. White cauliflower really needs dressing up to look pretty. Not this new version. I gather (from looking online) that there are a number of variations in the color of this vegetable, from coral to sunburst. Fun, right? And they have been around since 1970!!  

Which means I'd probably seen it before but it simply didn't register. According to an article on Saveur, the hue comes from the extra beta-carotene which is naturally stored in its florets, which gives the orange cauliflower 25 percent more vitamin A than the white variety. I'm not a scientist, but I'm buying that explanation. 

FYI, the flavor seems to be the same, maybe a little sweeter. It cooked exactly the same as regular cauliflower. It's a wonderful addition to any plate. I'm not sure why it turned a little "paler" after cooking. I only boil for a short time. So that's a "hmm" moment for me. Maybe that extra beta-carotene seeps out with the steam??

CAULIFLOWER AND PARMESAN

Ingredients:

1 large head orange cauliflower, split into florets

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic salt or powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons bouquet garni (*I use Penzeys)

1-2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper

½ cup Parmesan cheese

More Parmesan for garnish, if desired

Directions:

Blanch cauliflower: In a sauce pan, put 1-2 inches of water. Bing to a boil. Add the cauliflower and boil, with a lid on, for two minutes. Drain off water. Remove cauliflower from pan.

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the blanched cauliflower. Sprinkle with garlic salt, salt, bouquet garni, and cracked pepper. Stir-fry for five minutes, until cauliflower is tender.

Turn off heat and add Parmesan cheese. Toss. Serve immediately.  Garnish with more Parmesan, if desired.

Savor the mystery!

Daryl Wood Gerber aka Avery Aames

Tasty ~ Zesty ~ Dangerous!

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Tomato Camembert Pie – One last taste of summer

by Leslie Budewitz

The original version of this recipe came from Country Living Magazine, January 2002, although it has gone through many iterations and changes in our house. Funny that it was first published midwinter—to us, it’s the flavor of summer, and we simply must have it at least once every summer. But I’m happy to see that date and be reminded that we can enjoy it any time of year!

Note the secret ingredients in the crust: olive oil, and pepper. Either Camembert or Brie work equally well. You can use almost any fresh herbs you have; the parsley and bay leaf are almost essential, and chives are very nice. I rarely have the fresh rosemary called for – it does not do well in this climate.

Leftovers are, well, wonderful.

The tart goes beautifully with a crisp salad and white wine or a nice rosé. Erin and her mother would definitely approve!

Tomato Camembert Pie

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cold butter (3/4 stick), cut into pieces
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup Gruyere, grated
4 plum or Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick; if your tomatoes are fat, you may need to cut the slices in half
6 ounces Camembert or Brie, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 small bayleaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil, scant

Make the tart dough: In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, salt, and pepper until the mixture resembles small crumbs or coarse meal. Mix in 2 tablespoons of oil and the water until the dough begins to gather and cling together. If your flour or climate are dry, you may need more oil, up to about 1 tablespoon. (You can do this with a spoon or pastry blender, if you’d rather.)

Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.

Don’t play frisbee. Instead, wrap the disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge about 30 minutes.

Create the tart: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out chilled dough and place into a tart shell; allow about 1/4 inch of dough to stick out above the edge of the pan, for shrinkage.

Spread the mustard in the bottom of the shell. Sprinkle the Gruyere over the mustard.

Layer the tomato and Camembert strips around the outer 3-4 inches of the shell; fill in the middle with leftover tomato and cheese.

In that food processor, mix the herbs, garlic, and oil. You’ll have about 3/4 cup of herb paste. Brush about ½ cup over the tart.

Bake the tart: Bake tart on the middle shelf for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with the remaining herb paste. Serve warm.

Makes one 10-11 inch tart -- 6-8 servings.

From the cover of BUTTER OFF DEAD: As the national bestselling Food Lovers’ Village mysteries continue, the merchants of Jewel Bay, Montana try to heat up chilly winter business with a new film festival. But their plans are sent reeling when a dangerous killer dims the lights on a local mover and shaker …

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Connect with her on her website or on Facebook.

Skillet and Three Bowl Lasagna

My favorite lasagna recipe is an all day affair. Really. Starting with homemade sauce, of course. As good as it is, I don't often have an entire day to spend in the kitchen. So when I saw a skillet lasagna, I was intrigued and studied up on them.

The good news is you can make it just about any way you want. There are tons of variations. I think it was Food Network that used egg noodles. Some people use no-cook lasagna noodles, while others use the regular kind. The main difference being the cooking time and the amount of stirring. Some of the results sounded (to me) more like lasagna soup, which could actually be good but wasn't what I had in mind.

You can use spinach and veggies, or ground beef, or ground pork, or your favorite sausage. Naturally, you should go with your favorite bottled pasta sauce because that's the dominant flavor. Bottled? I heard gasps. If you have your own pasta sauce ready to go, then use it by all means. But the point of the skillet lasagna is to cut down on preparation time. And it doesn't make a bucket load, which is nice if you only have two to four people eating it.

I made mine in a 12-inch cast iron skillet, though any large skillet would certainly do. Leslie told me I had to try no-cook lasagna noodles, so I used those. A word of caution. If you use regular noodles, you will probably have to break them up into small pieces and turn them occasionally in the sauce to be sure they cook. Also plan on about 10-15 more minutes of cooking time.

Now, I had my heart set on layers, just like a regular lasagna, so that's why this is Skillet and Three Bowl Lasagna. You can cook everything in the skillet, but if you want layers, you need to take everything out to layer it properly.

The number of noodles will depend somewhat on the size of your skillet and the size of the noodles. You will have to break them to fit into the skillet, which is fine. So plan on 9+ noodles. It's a great way to use up broken pieces. Be sure to fill in around the corners with little bits but make sure they're covered with sauce so they don't dry out.

Be sure to slice the mozzarella in thin slices so you won't end up with a mouthful of chewy cheese. (Okay, I know some of you are thinking chewy cheese sounds good!) Grated mozzarella would work, too.

There are two ways of preparing this: stovetop and oven. I think it's fabulous that it can be done on the stove top. Remember that you need a lid for that method. Cover the lasagna and let it simmer for about 25 minutes. I happen to like putting things in the oven and forgetting about them while they bake. I did not use a lid at all but be sure you have an oven-proof skillet.

Layer however you like but be sure you have a layer of sauce either over or under the noodles.

The verdict? It's pretty good! There's still some chopping and cooking to do, so allow yourself about an hour of prep time. Still, that's a lot less than my old way of making lasagna!

Skillet and Three Bowl Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (about one small onion)
4 large garlic cloves
3/4 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided 1/2 + 1/2
1 teaspoon salt, divided 1/2 + 1/2
pepper
1 egg
1 cup Ricotta cheese
26 ounces of your favorite pasta sauce
1 cup chopped tomatoes with liquid
9-ish no-cook lasagna noodles
4 - 6 ounces or so mozzarella, thinly sliced or grated
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

If using oven, preheat oven to 350.

Chop the onions and mince the garlic. Slice the mozzarella. Heat the olive oil on medium in the skillet. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the ground beef, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and cook, breaking up the meat until the beef is cooked though. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and mix. Remove to bowl #1.

While the onions and the beef are cooking, place the egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in bowl #2 and whisk together. Add the ricotta cheese and combine. Set aside.

Mix together the pasta sauce and the chopped tomatoes in the skillet. When they are warm and combined, remove to bowl #3, leaving enough sauce in the skillet to cover the bottom.

Lay the noodles over the sauce in the pan, breaking them as necessary to fit. Top with half the meat mixture. Then spoon 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat. Layer 1/2 the mozzarella on the pan and top with 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Add another layer of noodles and top with the remaining meat, then the remaining mozzarella, and then the remaining sauce. Top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes. Test a corner of pasta to be sure it's cooked through.

Let rest 10 - 15 minutes before cutting.

Cook onions in olive oil.

Cook ground beef, onions, garlic, and herbs. Bowl #1.

Lightly whisk onion, herbs, and salt, then add ricotta. Bowl #2.

Combine sauce and chopped tomatoes. Bowl #3.

Layer pasta and meat over sauce.

Add slices of mozzarella.

Make a second layer.

Buon Appetito!

Banana Chocolate Chips Muffins and What-the-heck?

Please join us in giving a very big welcome to Sofie Kelly! Sofie, Daryl, Leslie, Peg, Sheila and I all go way back together. Back to the days when we were all starting out and none of us had been published. So we're especially delighted to have our dear friend visiting us today. 

Sofie has very kindly offered to give away a copy of her new book, FAUX PAW! Leave a comment with your email address to enter.

And heeeeere's Sofie!

During the summer in my house we eat a lot of fruit salad: chunks of melon, and peaches mixed with strawberries, blueberries or raspberries and as summer winds down, a taste of the early apple crop. But once fall comes fruit is more likely to show up in apple crisp, blueberry grunt and banana chocolate chip muffins.

In my Magical Cats Mysteries (Faux Paw will be out October 6^th) the characters like to indulge in something sweet. It may be Eric’s chocolate pudding cake at the café, Mary Lowe’s cinnamon rolls or Kathleen’s brownies. And yes, muffins. Lots of muffins.

I think of these muffins more as desert than a healthy breakfast choice. The recipe evolved from a recipe for banana bread in the 1952 edition of the Lily Wallace New American cookbook, the source of a lot of favorite recipes in my house.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups of sifted flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ cup margarine

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup sugar

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)

1 whole egg and 1 egg white

½ cup of chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or lightly grease.

Sift the flour, soda and cream of tartar together. In a large bowl beat margarine, sugar, applesauce, egg and egg white until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the mashed banana alternately with the flour mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched. You’ll notice I don’t have any photos of the muffins once they were baked. If you have teenagers in your house you’ll understand why!

 

 

And now for the “what-the-heck.” I was going to share my corn muffin recipe. I baked them in my large toaster oven and this is what happened. They tasted great but kind of looked like they belonged in a cooking version of Alien. Does anyone have any idea of what the heck happened?

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter Sofie's giveaway! Include your email address so we can contact you. Good luck!