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Shaved Asparagus & Radish Salad

May 18, 2014 //
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I went into work one day this past week and overheard one colleague squeal to another, “Did you see? Asparagus at the Greenmarket today!” Truth be told, I hadn’t realized that was a new thing. I, somewhat obliviously, picked up a bunch for $4 at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket last weekend. Asparagus was everywhere, at nearly every stand; I just figured it’d been around for a couple of weeks at least.

I wanted to eat it raw and crunchy, although I do also love it roasted with garlic and dressed with lemon and parmesan. Also check out my friend Valerie’s recent post on green asparagus salad with parmesan. At the market, the radishes were calling to me too so I grabbed a bunch of those for $2 and a 1/4 pound of bright green tatsoi for $3 and headed home to make lunch.

Take advantage of the season, carpe diem, get to your local farmer’s market and see what calls to you. It may be tatsoi, it may be ramps, it may be an apple cider donut. Speaking of ramps, you can check out my recipes from past years for an omelette with ramps and feta, and ramp butter.

Asparagus & Radish Salad
Serves 2

1/2 bunch of asparagus (approx. 8–10 spears), washed
4 radishes, washed
bunch of greens like tatsoi, baby kale, lettuces, rinsed and dried
fresh lemon juice and approx. 1 tsp lemon zest
olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut off the tough bottoms of the asparagus spears and discard (usually the bottom one inch or so). Chop the top part of the spear and slice in half or thirds, setting aside. Using a vegetable peeler slice the remaining asparagus spears lengthwise.

Slice the radishes very thinly. You can either do this with a paring knife or the vegetable peeler. Combine in a bowl with the asparagus tops and sliced spears.

In a small mason jar or measuring cup, combine the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper, adjusting proportions to your liking. I would use something like 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, a big pinch of salt and a few cranks of freshly ground pepper. Shake (or whisk with a fork).

Toss the dressing with the asparagus and radishes, then add your greens, combining a little more. Plate the salad, adding a few more thin slices of radish on top, and maybe a little more salt and pepper. Serve.

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Categories Asparagus, Brooklyn, Farmer's Market, Savory, Spring

Time to Make the Yogurt

May 5, 2014 //
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A while back I acquired a yogurt maker. I don’t remember how or when or from whom exactly. But about the time I started making my own kimchi and kombucha I started fermenting my milk too. [Insert Brooklyn joke here.]

Making yogurt is almost foolproof. Like making ricotta or almond milk or tempeh. (Ok, making tempeh isn’t really easy at all but you should read this post by Lagusta if you want to learn how.) Herein lies the key: start with good milk. I’m probably not supposed to advocate for raw milk but let’s just say the less pasteurized the more good bacteria and the more tangy and flavorful your yogurt will be. I use Evans’ Farmhouse milk from upstate New York which I can get at my local food coop. They maintain full pasture-based cows and it’s a family owned farm. As Anne Saxelby was quoted as saying in the Times, “This is butter.”

I’ll also just say for all my vegans out there, take heart. You can make non-dairy yogurt at home too. I’ve been making my own yogurt for a while now so I have my own culture to work from. I just save a little from each previous batch I make to mix with the new milk. You can also buy a single-serving container of yogurt and use that as a starter, or use a starter like Belle+Bella. I like theirs because it’s non-gmo and works well with soy, almond, or other kinds of milks.

As with most things I make and document on this blog, I save neither time nor money by going the homemade route. Would it be easier to go into my local grocery store and buy a quart of Stonyfield yogurt? Yes. Cheaper? Probably. But would it taste as good? It’s also about avoiding processed food and additives when I can. I don’t do this religiously nor aspire to (until I become a yoga teacher who lives in Vermont and makes pottery in about twenty years.) Until then, I dabble in the fermenting arts when I can. You should give it a try.

Homemade Yogurt
Makes approx. 1 quart of yogurt

1 quart milk
1 packet (5 g) of yogurt starter like Belle+Bella’s Yogo or 1 c yogurt at room temperature

1. Heat 1 quart or liter of milk to approximately 180 degrees F (82C).
2. Let the milk cool to approx. 108F (42C).
3. Stir either your packet of starter or your cup of yogurt with a small amount of the cooled milk and mix well.
4. Combine this mixture with the rest of the milk and stir well.
5. Keep warm at approx. 112F (44C) for at least five hours and up to about 12. You can do this in your oven but it really is a lot easier to use a yogurt maker.
6. Refrigerate for a few hours before eating.

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Categories Breakfast, Brooklyn, Co-op, Spring, Uncategorized

Whole-Grain Muffins with Jam

April 6, 2014 //
0

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Friday night I saw the the film The Lunchbox, a love story of sorts centered around Mumbai’s incredibly efficient lunchbox delivery system. If you watch this movie hungry your stomach will be grumbling throughout, craving the mouth-watering curries that the lucky character Saajan gets to eat each day for lunch. It also made me want to remake my red lentil tarka, spicy coconut curry, and quick curry.

But this post takes a different tack. Inspired by the craze of cross-pollinating baked goods all over this town I read Julia Moskin’s story in this week’s Times with interest. I can’t really say or write “scuffin” without smirking (cronut is easier for some reason), so I’m not calling these that. These are basically muffins filled with jam. I didn’t include the cream from the original recipe although I’m sure that would be tasty (I just rarely have cream on hand and it didn’t seem totally necessary here). I also added whole grain rye flour instead of using all-purpose pastry flour, making for a richer, slightly denser flavor that I like, kinda the philosophy of Tartine’s Book No. 3, on baking with whole grains.

If you’re avoiding butter and eggs (I’m looking at you my vegan friends) you could substitute coconut oil for the butter, and half a mashed banana for the egg. Check out this post for a few different vegan egg replacements for baking. And if you use the coconut oil instead of butter, use 1/4 c additional coconut oil instead of the olive oil that’s called for below, that will just keep for a more consistent flavor.

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Whole Grain Muffins with Jam
adapted from Julia Moskin, The New York Times

4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing muffin tins
1 c whole-wheat flour
3/4 c rye flour (you can use all-purpose or any other type you like)
1/4 c wheat germ
3 tbsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 c whole milk
1/4 c olive oil
approx. 1/2 c of your favorite fruit jam

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease 12 muffin cups with butter and set aside. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt the butter and add to the dry ingredients, mixing with a fork until just combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg (or 1/2 banana if using), milk, and olive oil, and add to the dry ingredients until just combined.

Scoop the dough into the muffin tins, reserving about 1/4 of the dough for topping. Make a small well in the dough and drop in a spoonful of your favorite fruit jam. Using the remaining dough cover the tops of the muffins, across the top you can scatter a little sugar, or flax seeds, or poppy seeds, crushed nuts might be good too.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until browned. Let cool then, using a butter knife, transfer out of the tins to a rack.

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Yields 12 muffins

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Categories Breakfast, Brooklyn, Curry, Desserts, Spring
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