November 23rd, 2014
Both my husband’s and my family live far away, so instead we celebrate Thanksgiving with the other family – our friends. This tradition of friends getting together at our house has developed naturally over the past ten years that we’ve called the West coast of Florida our home. I always look forward to that one Thursday in late November – usually, it’s cold enough to light a fire in our seldom used fireplace, and I have a bunch of new recipes ready for a test run.
Our Thanksgiving table is never a traditional one – I rarely cook the same dish two years in a row and our international circle of friends assures plenty of exciting variety. This colorful pilaf is destined to join this year’s celebration.
Up until recently, I had only heard of sorghum flour as a great gluten free option for baked goods. Then a bag of whole sorghum grains caught my eye in one of the isles of our health food store, and I had to try it out.
Sorghum is a nutritious grain native to Africa. It has a nice, pleasantly chewy texture and neutral flavor, which combines very well with roasted juicy cranberries and grapes, Brussels sprouts, nuts and aromatic herbs. If you are still looking for a flavorful veggie dish to complete your Thanksgiving table, this one is a winner.
Sorghum Pilaf
Note: feel welcome to use different grains instead of sorghum, such as rice, barley, millet, farro, etc.
1 cup whole sorghum grains or other grains of choice – soaked in water overnight (important for sorghum)
1 lb brussels sprouts – ends trimmed and cut in half
about 3 cups grapes (I specifically love Thomcord grapes here)
8 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
large handful walnuts
3 tablespoons melted coconut or olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons each chopped thyme, sage and rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Drain and rinse sorghum. Place it into a large saucepan, pour 3 cups filtered water over it and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower heat to simmer, add a pinch of salt and cook for 50-60 minutes or until soft (the sorghum will still be slightly chewy, but cooked).
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rest of ingredients and toss to coat.
3. Spread on a rimmed baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, until brussels sprouts feel soft when pricked with a fork, but not mushy. Gently stir and turn the tray halfway through the baking.
4. Spoon the cooked sorghum into a large mixing bowl and add the roasted brussels sprouts with fruits, nuts, herbs and their caramelized juices. Stir gently to combine. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated in an air-tight container and serve cold or at room temperature.
Tags: brussels sprouts, cranberries, grapes, salad, sorghum
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November 14th, 2014
When creating recipes, I keep in mind a few key points for what my dishes should be: flavorful, healthful, new, accessible. I don’t always hit all of these points – sometimes it’s easier to make a meal that feels very unique and fresh, but doesn’t score high on the accessibility scale, or often a dish won’t feel very new if it contains common ingredients and is simple in preparation.
But from time to time, I manage to come up with a recipe that can be described by all those adjectives, and this Warm Cauliflower, Grape and Black Rice Salad is one of them.
With the exception of Concord and Muscadine grapes, which have a relatively short season in the late summer and early fall, I rarely use table grapes in my cooking due to their overwhelming sweetness. This salad is the best home for very sweet grapes – they will provide a delicious contrast to the subtle spiciness of the dressing, the earthy roasted cauliflower and textural black rice. I’ve probably made this dish five times in the past two weeks, yet it disappears so quickly that I can never catch a good portion for myself.
Besides the very tasty combination of flavors and textures, this salad is strikingly beautiful and could make an excellent addition to your holiday table. To make it even more festive, sprinkle with some fresh pomegranate seeds.
Lastly, thank you for all of your expressed interest in the Abruzzo retreats.
Warm Salad of Roasted Cauliflower, Grapes and Black Rice
for the salad
1 cup black forbidden rice
sea salt
1 cauliflower head – cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove – minced
1 teaspoon cumin – preferably freshly ground
2 cups seedless grapes – cut into quarters (optionally, use a variety of grapes)
1 small chili pepper – seeded and minced (optional)
bunch cilantro leaves
for the dressing
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
1 tablespoon unpasteurized miso paste
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
to make the dressing
Mix together tahini and miso paste in a small bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir into a smooth dressing.
to cook rice
Bring 1 cup of black rice, 1 3/4 cup of water and salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
to roast cauliflower
Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle cauliflower florets with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic and cumin and mix to coat using your hands. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes or until soft, rotating the tray half way through and turning florets if you wish.
to make the salad
Combine rice, cauliflower, grapes, chili and cilantro leaves in a large mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat. Serve immediately, so that the cauliflower and rice are still warm.
It tastes great cold as well and keeps well covered and refrigerated for at least 3 days.
Tags: black rice, cauliflower, grapes, salad
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September 15th, 2013
After all these years of living in Florida, I’d never seen, let alone tasted a local fig until very recently. I heard legends of them existing, but never came across one. The other week, at a party, I met the lucky owners of a couple of fig trees in town and got an invitation to come pick some fresh figs. The trees were tiny, not at all like the ones that I was used to from back home by the Black Sea, but still studded with figs. It had been a while since I tasted one of my favorite fruit right off the tree, and they did not disappoint. Although small and pale in colour, the figs were honey-sweet and delicious.
I was inspired to make a fig tart, using my favourite long rectangular tart pan, combining my homemade ricotta, figs and chocolate – how could the combination of all those wonderful ingredients ever disappoint?
You can use any good crust recipe for the tart. I like to utilize the whey left over from ricotta cheese making as the liquid component in the dough – it gives a wonderful texture to a very simple whole spelt dough. Roasted grapes are a fall indulgence and a great accompaniment to this tart.
Paloma ate the majority of the tart (a chocoholic in the making). She just started kindergarten, and we have been getting used to the new routine and rules that come about all too fast when the little ones grow up. Because the content of her lunchbox is always very different from most of the children in the class, the beginning of each new school is quite an adjustment, food wise. I have to work out how to pack all of Paloma’s food in a way that is convenient enough for her to eat, how to store it safely during the day, and last but not least, I have to think about how the kids (and sometimes the teachers!) will react to it. The most constant variable in her lunchbox is a green juice or smoothie, while everything else changes from day to day. The juice, of course, gets some negative attention, but thankfully Paloma is a fiery little Leo who can stand up for herself. The last incident happened very recently, and Paloma’s comeback (according to her own account) was “This is my mom’s juice, and if you don’t like it, don’t look at it!” She didn’t seem at all upset by that conversation.
And speaking of healthy foods for children, a reader, Elle Valentine, recently shared her healthy children’s book with us. It is called The UnPopular Pea (and Carrot) and was written to help kids learn about real food and making healthy dietary choices. It is a helpful tool, along with being very clever and entertaining – Paloma is obsessed. Watch the campaign video here and buy the book here. Thank you Elle!
Fig and Chocolate Ricotta Tart
for the crust
1 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour (I used sprouted spelt flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whey – left over from ricotta making
to make the crust
1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add in the whey, mix and knead into a soft dough.
2. Lightly grease a tart pan with coconut oil and press the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan to create a crust of even thickness. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
for the filling
2 cups ricotta cheese (I make mine with raw goat milk)
1 vanilla bean – seeds scraped out, optional
2 tablespoons coconut sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
about 4 tablespoons (half of a standard bar) grated dark chocolate, or more to taste
15 dried but moist figs – stems removed and halved
9 fresh ripe, sweet figs – stems removed and halved
to make the filling and bake the tart
1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
2. Combine the ricotta with vanilla seeds and coconut sugar in a medium sized bowl, set aside.
3. Remove the crust from the fridge and sprinkle about 1/2 of the chocolate over the bottom. Spoon 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the chocolate, distribute evenly.
4. Press the dried figs, cut side up, into the ricotta layer, positioning them evenly over the surface of the tart. Follow with the rest of the ricotta, distributing it into an even layer. Press the fresh figs, cut side up into the ricotta, flattening the surface. Sprinkle with coconut sugar.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the figs are caramelized. Take out of the oven, sprinkle with the rest of chocolate and place back into the oven for a couple of minutes to let chocolate melt slightly.
6. Let cool, slice and serve with roasted grapes if desired.
Notes:
1. If using store bought ricotta, consider draining it over a sieve overnight in a fridge.
2. If you don’t have the left over whey, consider this simple recipe for a crust. Substitute spelt flour for all purpose if you wish.
Roasted Grapes
grapes
coconut oil or ghee
1. Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).
2. Make sure that the grapes are dry after you wash them. Toss the grape clusters with oil or ghee to coat lightly.
3. Roast for 8-12 minutes until soft and skins began to split.
Tags: dessert, fig, grapes, recipe, ricotta, tart
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