Buttery Bruschetta

September 1, 2013 - Elspeth 1 Comment

Before we get started, some clarity on a pet peeve: its brus-SKE-tta. I even have proof. All hail the internet!

The one recipe I have always drooled over from Julie & Julia isn’t even a Julia Child one– it’s that fantastic looking fried bread masterpiece that she throws together before deciding to embark on her epic journey. The bread is browned to perfection, but still remains soft; the tomatoes ooze with salty, basil-y delight; and the expressions of joy coming from Julie’s husband when he stuffs bite after bite into his face? Well, that’s just beautiful. I don’t think that man had to act an ounce in that scene, the lucky son of a …..

The key for me was avoiding the crunchy, toast-like outcome one often finds in bruschetta. I wanted a slight crisp on the outside with a warm, soft inside, so that it wouldn’t cut up my mouth but still provide me with a satisfying bite. Pan-frying over a fairly moderate temperature with butter seemed to do the trick. Because, really– when does butter NOT do the trick?

Buttery Bruschetta

1 soft baguette, cut into 1″ slices (I went with a half-baked option because I wanted absolutely no crustiness to get in the way of my vision and baguettes tend to be a bit rough around the edges)
4 T butter
3-4 medium tomatoes, or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped into small 1″ pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
3 T fresh basil, sliced thinly
1 T balsamic vinegar
3 T olive oil
1 t salt
pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, basil, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk together and add the tomatoes, stirring thoroughly so that the tomatoes are coated in the dressing. Taste and add salt if needed. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the butter over medium with some salt. When melted, throw in a clove of garlic and cook for a minute. Remove the garlic and place the bread slices down, swirling in the butter. You may need to do this in a couple of batches. Make sure that your bread doesn’t dry out and start to toast– add more butter if you need to and don’t be shy. It will take about 4-5 minutes per side to brown. When the bread has browned on both sides, remove and lay out in a single layer on a large plate. Spoon the tomatoes over and top with extra basil. Serve immediately (wait too long and the bread will become soggy).

Honey Glazed Tofu

August 25, 2013August 25, 2013 - Elspeth Leave a comment

I recently stumbled upon the Herbivoracious blog and have been having an absolute ball flipping through his recipes. That man knows how to get his vegetarian on like it’s his JOB (which, actually, I believe it is. He’s a chef.)

This recipe is all about the sauce, so if you’re not a tofu kind of gal/guy/whatever, then you can sub it out for beef, chicken, water buffalo, etc. Let me warn you: it’s insanely delicious. Lock away the portions you don’t plan on barreling through well before you begin, or you may end up like me: black-out snarfing over the sink while my cat shot me judgmental looks. She thinks she’s so superior.

Honey Glazed Tofu

adapted a tad from Herbivoracious

20 oz tofu
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 thinly sliced yellow onion
Sauce:
1/2 c honey
1/4 c rice wine
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 t sesame oil
1/3 c soy sauce
dash fish sauce
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 t freshly grated ginger
1/2 t red pepper flakes
sliced green onions
2 T crushed minute tapioca (food processor or mortar & pestle)

Prep the tofu by slicing it into 3/4″ slabs and laying it out on paper towel. Press out some of the moisture with more paper towels and set the tofu aside. In a medium bowl combine all of the sauce ingredients and whisk together. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high. When hot, lay the tofu out in a single layer and brown for about 5 minutes. When the tofu is loosened from the bottom of the pan (if it doesn’t “give” fairly easily then it’s not ready to be flipped), flip and cook another 4-5 minutes. Pour off about half of the oil into a heat-proof ceramic bowl. Add the sliced onion to the pan along with the sauce and reduce the heat to medium low. After a couple of minutes, remove the tofu pieces and allow the sauce to come to a simmer. It will thicken nicely, but add some stock if you want a thinner situation.

I served this over coconut rice (a must, in my opinion) with some grilled bok choy and it was delightful. Crispy, saucey goodness–what more could I want?

One-pot pasta: Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce

August 20, 2013 - Elspeth 1 Comment

Sometimes I hate Pinterest. It’s an overload of awesome and my brain just can’t take it. No-bake peanut butter pretzel bark with a side of rainbows and magic beans! Seriously– who can resist? And when there are 60,000 of those flying in your face in perfect little columns of glory….doomed. Doomed to spend hours every day salivating without ever actually making anything! Oh sure, you want to cover your walls with DIY mason jar crafts and adorn the dinner table with 43 kinds of Baked Alaska, but you can’t because your productivity has taken a destructive nose dive. All you can do is scroll for more…and more…and more.

Today I said “Enough, self! Get up and make something worthy of the Pinterest gods!” And it was done. All with minimal clean up, since my garbage disposal is broken and I’m too lazy to figure out how to fix it. So it goes.

Oh, and it tastes good. I took some inspiration from Pasta Putanesca with the olives and anchovies, which make it salty and delightful and tummy-warming.

Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce

2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/4 white wine
12 oz pasta
2 c stock
1 c milk
1.5 c tomato sauce
1 t anchovies, chopped fine
1/2 c olives, cut in half
1/4 c fresh basil, sliced thinly
finely grated parmigiano reggiano
S&P (because of the anchovies, olives, and cheese, you will not need much salt)

Heat a large pot (if you are using linguine-type noodles, make sure that the pot is wide enough to fit the noodles laying down; otherwise, you’ll need to break them in half) over medium heat. When hot, add the oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion and saute for a few minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the wine and reduce for a couple of minutes. Add the anchovies and stir until a bit melted. Add the stock, milk, tomato sauce, and noodles. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Stir frequently and add more water if the sauce becomes thick and the noodles aren’t yet done. When the noodles are al dente, remove from heat and taste for salt. Top with olives and parmigiano cheese and serve over fresh arugula.