Penne With Herbed Zucchini And Goat Cheese

Don't you love it when a recipe far exceeds your expectations? It doesn't happen often, to me at least, but when it does it's so satisfying. I've cooked zucchini countless times. I've tried to like it, I really have. But the end result has always been the same. Bland. Watery. Blah. Not so with this dish, from a 1997 issue of Gourmet, dug up on Epicurious.

My reason for cooking this was simple -- I had the handful of items it required on hand. And I should say right now that with recipes that have so few ingredients -- six, in this case -- the quality of said ingredients is paramount. I had the best of the best -- local zucchini bought a few days ago at a farmers' market, top notch dried pasta, herbs snipped from my balcony pots, and Monforte goat cheese -- and the dish was all the better for it.

Mushroom Risotto

I've been making risotto for years -- it's one of the first dishes I learned to cook when I was living on my own and I used to make it fairly frequently for friends. Often a mixed mushroom version, similar to the one here, or a tomato basil one that required a bit more effort but looked even nicer on the plate.

Last night I had a fierce craving for a classic mushroom risotto so I came upon this recipe and decided to give it a go. In years past I'd cook risotto in a large saucepan, but after watching many an episode of Hell's Kitchen where I noticed the chefs cooked their risotto in a wide saute pan I decided to try that instead. I don't know how much of a difference the extra surface area made, all I know is that the risotto was fan-freaking-tastic. Creamy, not the least bit gummy, and with a tiny bit of bite still in the rice. I should mention that I now buy my rice at Rube's, an excellent purveyor of grains and legumes, and I was using homemade chicken stock, so I'm sure the quality of the ingredients also contributed to the tasty end product, but my instincts tell me the saute pan is the way to go.

I was recently advised by one of the chefs appearing on CityLine, the show I work for, that I should seek out a wooden spoon with a hole in the centre to make risotto with, as the hole allows the rice to pass through when you're stirring and aids in the texture. If I happen upon one I'll certainly pick it up, but I don't know that it's necessary.

Lemony Mushroom Risotto
Gourmet | February 2001

2 2/3 cups boiling-hot water
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 lb small cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Arborio rice (8 oz)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pour 2/3 cup hot water over porcini in a heatproof cup and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Lift porcini out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into cup, and rinse well to remove any grit. Coarsely chop porcini. Pour soaking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a glass measure and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring broth and remaining 2 cups hot water to a simmer. Keep at a bare simmer, covered.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté cremini, stirring, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add porcini and reserved soaking liquid to skillet and boil, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Cook onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.

Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth mixture and cook at a strong simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition become absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender but still al dente and creamy (it should be the consistency of a thick soup), 18 minutes. (There will be leftover broth.)

Stir in zest, mushrooms, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste. (If necessary, thin risotto with some of remaining broth.) Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course, or 6-8 as a side dish.

Source: Epicurious

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'Don't Mess With Perfection' Guacamole

I've seen all sorts of things added to guacamole (onions, tomatoes, cilantro, etc), but it's my firm belief that the perfect guacamole has but four ingredients: garlic, lime juice, salt, and the all-important avocado. This goes back to the first time my friend Kama made fresh guacamole before my eyes. The flesh of a perfectly ripe avocado, scooped into a bowl, the juice of a lime, a minced garlic clove, and plenty of salt (more than you'd think to add). Mashed together roughly with a fork and not pureed, so you still have the odd chunk of creamy avocado, it was easy to prepare, gorgeous to behold, and absolutely delicious with a big bowl of tortilla chips.

This is now my go-to recipe whenever I make guac (Thanks Kama!), and so long as the avocado is ripe it's pretty much impossible to screw up. Feel free to tinker with the amount of garlic, lime juice and salt -- as mentioned I feel it needs a bit more salt than might be your instinct to put in, but give it a try and see what you think. If you're serving with salty tortilla chips you may want to back off on the salt a bit. While I used to only make guac when I had chips on hand, now I use it for sandwich spread as well (I prefer it to mayonnaise).

Don't forget that avocadoes, once sliced into, go brown quickly so try not to leave the flesh too long before adding the lime juice, which will stop the browning. Also, if you're wrapping up the leftover guac, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the guacamole and store it in an air-tight container.

Happy snacking!

'Don't Mess With Perfection' Guacamole

1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste

Scoop out the avocado flesh and put it in a bowl.
Add the lime juice, garlic clove and salt.
Mash with a fork. You don't want a puree, but a rough mash.
Taste, and add more salt if desired.

Makes approximately one cup of guacamole.

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Easter Baking: Spiked Double Apple Cake With Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce

The stove got a workout this long weekend, between baking dessert for my family's Easter supper (which we had on Good Friday) and Saturday night's dinner with friends.

On Thursday night I baked Walnut Layer Cake with Coffee Buttercream, from Regan Daley's In The Sweet Kitchen, for the family dinner on Friday. I was fortunate enough to interview Regan last week, and the former pastry chef is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to baking. I have a feeling her book could become my go-to baking resource, as it's full of delicious-sounding cakes, tarts, cookies, and bars for every imaginable occasion.

I will say that the walnut cake didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped it would, but I blame myself and not the recipe. My first mistake was leaving the cake layers in the oven too long. The baking time specified 30-35 minutes, and I left them in for the full 35. They definitely could've come out at 30. Also, it was quite late when the cakes came out so I left them to cool on racks and went to bed with the idea of making the buttercream in the morning. The end result was that the cake was dry. Too bad, because the coffee buttercream was wonderful. I've never made meringue buttercream before and it was wonderfully light and creamy -- not grainy and heavy as some icings can be. The key is that you're using only egg whites, and not yolks. With its intense coffee flavour, I imagine it would go perfectly with a dark chocolate cake.

On to the second dessert of the weekend, which followed a French bistro-style dinner of roast chicken, rosemary potatoes, and haricots verts. I went with another recipe from In The Sweet Kitchen, this time Spiked Double Apple Cake with Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce (pictured). Wow. This one was absolutely spectacular, and there's no doubt I'll be making it again. Raisins and dried apples soaked in French brandy, cinnamon, brown sugar, fresh apples baked into a sheet cake that's chewy and spicy. The cake is delicious on its own, but with a generous pour of the brandy sauce on top it's sinfully delightful. I upped the decadence factor with a dollop of whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream would be great too I'm sure.

With both baking and cooking you're bound to have successes and failures -- the key is not to dwell on the failures, but to revel in the successes! (And hopefully there'll be more of those.)

Buttermilk Spice Cake

I offered to make dessert for our family's Easter dinner this year -- because of everyone's schedules we're actually eating on Good Friday -- and have been scanning my cookbooks and magazines for ideas. Bon Appetit's March issue features a Buttermilk Spice Cake with Pear Compote and Creme Fraiche, and earlier this week I decided to try out the cake on its own to see if I liked it.

I should've taken a closer look at the list of ingredients before it came time to bake, as I realized I was missing a couple of key items, one of them being the buttermilk! Oops. I did however have 1% plain yogurt, which I knew would work just as well. I was also down a vanilla bean. I do have high quality vanilla, so I used that and bumped up the amount. It turned out fairly well, although I'm not sure if it makes the cut for my family's holiday dinner. Pears seem more fall than spring....I'm thinking something fresh and light. Perhaps a lemon tart, a key lime pie, or a rhubarb fool. Decisions, decisions.

Buttermilk Spice Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit | March 2010

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (scant) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground whole star anise*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 3-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lime peel
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup 1% plain yogurt)
Powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups crème fraîche

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line pan with round of parchment paper.

Sift first 9 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add lime peel; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions, scraping down bowl occasionally. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until beginning to brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack; peel off parchment and turn right side up onto platter. Sift powdered sugar over. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream, yogurt, and/or crème fraîche.

For the original recipe, including the pear compote, click here.

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Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops with Peperonata

My sister and I are going to Italy for 10 days in June -- booked our plane tickets earlier this week -- and I can't wait for us to eat, drink and sightsee our way around Rome, Florence and Cinque-Terre. Gelato every day? Without a doubt.

The latest issue of SAVEUR has a feature on classic Roman food, including a drool-worthy cover shot of Maiale in Agrodolce, aka Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops. Decided to make that and Peperonata (Stewed Sweet Peppers) for dinner last night to get into the spirit of all things Italian. The chops were supposed to be grilled, but I'm BBQ-less so I pan-seared them and finished them off in the oven.

Both recipes were a cinch to make, and the balsamic-honey glaze for the pork was rich, sweet, and tangy. My photos aren't nearly as pretty as SAVEUR's, but I assure you both dishes were very tasty and went together wonderfully.

Maiale in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops)
Saveur | April 2010

4 10-oz. bone-in pork chops, frenched
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh rosemary, torn into 1" pieces

Put pork chops on a plate; drizzle with oil; season generously with salt and pepper; let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Combine vinegar and honey in a 1-qt. saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1⁄4 cup. Stir in butter and rosemary and set aside.

Put pork chops on grill and cook, occasionally turning and basting with balsamic mixture, until browned and cooked through, 12–14 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

*Alternately, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and/or 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Sear chops for two minutes per side. Brush glaze on both sides, then finish in a 375F-degree oven for 5-8 minutes. Rest for five minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Peperonata (Stewed Sweet Peppers)
Saveur | April 2010

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 assorted red peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4" ctrips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add peppers, garlic, onions, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peppers are soft, about 1 hour. Stir in vinegar and transfer to a serving bowl.

Makes 2 cups.

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Rhubarb Cardamom Crisp

I love the tartness of baked rhubarb, which is why even though it's early in the season I had to pick some up at the farmer's market last weekend. I figured that even though what I was getting was almost certainly hothouse rhubarb, baked into a crisp it would still be delicious. And it was, although my adapted recipe needs tweaking.

I'd had a package of Amaretti cookies in my cupboard for months, can't even remember what I originally bought them for. So rather than the typical oatmeal topping I usually employ for fruit crisps, I thought crumbled up Amaretti would be just as good -- maybe even better! With only a few cups' worth of rhubarb on hand, I chopped up three good-sized Ida Red apples to fill my nine-inch-square baking pan. I mixed the rhubarb and apple with some lemon juice and sugar, then poured it into the pan. I sprinkled the roughly crushed cookies over top and then dotted butter over that. Then into the oven for 45 minutes.

It smelled good almost immediately, but here's where I went wrong. After only 20 minutes the cookie topping was already a deep brown. I knew the fruit still had a long way to go so I put foil overtop to prevent it from browning any more. It succeeded in that regard, but the moisture from the fruit softened the topping somewhat. Next time, I'd put the foil on for the first half hour, then remove it for the last 15-20 minutes to ensure a crisp topping.

Rhubarb Cardamom Crisp
Adapted from David Lebovitz's Peach and Amaretti Crisp on Epicurious

Filling:

3 cups rhubarb, chopped
3 cups apple, chopped (I used Ida Red but feel free to use your favourite baking apple)
1/4 cup white sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp ground cardamom

Topping:

1 cup Amaretti cookies, crushed (about 20 cookies)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
8 tbsp butter (1 stick), chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix together filling ingredients. Pour into 9-inch-square pan.

Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over fruit filling. I like a rustic topping with bits of different sizes, but if you want it to look more uniform pulse together the ingredients in a food processor.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. If the top starts to look too brown, cover it with foil. Just make sure you leave enough room at the end of the baking process to uncover it and crisp it up again (you don't want a soggy topping).

Note: Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I had to settle for pistachio kulfi (all I had in my freezer), which was good, but vanilla would've been better.

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Duck Confit with Roasted Celeriac

This post is a bit of a cheat, in that I didn't prepare my own duck confit. However I always wondered what those vacuum-sealed packages of duck confit were like, so last week I picked one up at the market. Not cheap -- $12 for one fat-preserved leg -- but I chose a Quebec brand figuring it'd be of good quality.

You know what? It was pretty tasty! And so easy to prepare. Basically you unwrap the packaging, place the leg on a baking sheet skin side down, pop it in the oven at 400F for five minutes, then flip it over so it's skin side up and put the oven on broil to crisp the skin for another five minutes or so. Keep an eye on it though, you don't want the skin going from crispy brown to crispy black.

On the side I served some roasted celeriac, a great match for duck. And some orange relish over top. As you know, orange and duck also pair wonderfully. At nearly 50 grams of fat per package, I won't be eating duck confit every week, but every once in a while it's a nice indulgence.

Roasted Celeriac

1 celery root
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash celery root and cut off outer layer. Dice.

Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes.

Orange Relish

1 large orange
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel orange. Blanch peels in boiling water; drain and chop roughly.

Trim off and discard pith from orange. Cut orange into small pieces and combine with chopped peel, sugar and white wine vinegar in a small pot.

Simmer gently until liquid cooks down and relish becomes slightly syrupy, about 5-6 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Source: Anthony Sedlak, The Main

Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Spaghetti

One of these days I'll learn my lesson about slow-cooked meals on weeknights, and that starting the process after 6pm inevitably means I won't be eating until close to 10. Such was the case tonight, when I finally sat down to a delicious and hearty bowl of Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Spaghetti.

The shank meat had been simmering in my Dutch oven for a good 2.5 hours and was falling off the bone. Combined with sausage, toasted fennel, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and a whole bottle of red wine, it was worth every minute of its cooking time and I highly recommend the recipe. But for those of you thinking of making it, take the timing into consideration and save this one for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Whole Grain Spaghetti
Bon Appetit | May 2009

Ragù:

2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 pounds hot Italian sausages, casings removed
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 pounds 1 1/2-inch-thick beef shanks with bone (about 3 pieces)
5 cups chopped onions (about 3 large)
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper


Pasta:

1 1/2 pounds multi-grain or whole grain spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley


For ragù:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast fennel seeds in small dry skillet over medium-low heat until slightly darker in color and very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large oven-proof pot over medium heat. Add sausage. Cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to pot. Sprinkle beef shanks with salt and pepper. Add to pot and sauté until brown, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to bowl with sausage. Add onions to pot and sauté until brown and tender, scraping up browned bits, about 10 minutes. Return shanks, sausage, and any accumulated juices to pot. Add tomatoes with juice, wine, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, crushed red pepper, and toasted fennel seeds. Bring to simmer.

Cover pot and place in oven. Braise until shanks are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Transfer shanks to work surface. Cut meat off bones and dice. Discard bones. Tilt pot. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices. Return diced shank meat to pot. Simmer until liquid is reduced enough to coat spoon, about 10 minutes. Season ragù to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, before continuing.

For pasta:

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl. Add oil and toss to coat. Add cheese and parsley; toss to coat. Season pasta with salt and pepper.

Divide pasta among 12 shallow bowls. Ladle ragù over and serve.

Yield: Makes 12 servings

Source: Epicurious

Note: I used fettuccine rather than spaghetti, as I felt the thick, hearty sauce warranted a sturdier noodle. But if you prefer spaghetti, use that, or your favourite pasta shape.

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Jams And Jars: Pickled Red Onions

This is the first of what I hope will be many 'Jams And Jars' posts on Plum Tart. Last year I tried my hand at a few preserves, including a variety of pestos (basil, parsley, sundried tomato) and jams (Meyer lemon marmalade, strawberry, strawberry-rhubarb), and this year I want to do much more. Chutneys, pickles, compotes, sauces, you name it.

With the St. Lawrence Market -- and its weekly farmer's market on Saturdays -- a stone's throw from my door, I have the best of local fruits and veg to pick from. And there's really nothing better than crunchy homemade dill pickles beside a grilled cheese sandwich, marinara sauce with summer-fresh tomatoes served over pasta in the dead of winter, toast and jam made with Ontario berries. Although I didn't blog about it, I made my own mayonnaise -- actually lemon aioli -- recently and it was fantastic. Miracle Whip, I'm through with you.

So to kick things off: pickled red onions. These have to be the easiest preserves I've ever made as they take no time to cook. The hardest part is slicing the onions. Once that's done, you simmer them with white wine, honey, lemon juice, sugar, and salt for about 10 minutes til softened and that's all she wrote.


This recipe is from Fresh with Anna Olson, part of her Fiddlehead Salad, but the onions can be used for all sorts of things -- as a burger or sandwich condiment, over chicken or fish, or in any variety of other salads.

Pickled Red Onions
Makes 4 cups

4 cups sliced red onions
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Simmer all the ingredients, uncovered, over medium heat until the onions are tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. These can be refrigerated for up to six weeks.

Source: Fresh with Anna Olson, Anna Olson, Whitecap, 2009

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