Mashed Potato Remix

Sometimes leftovers surprise you. I started out with a version of Bubble & Squeak – also known as mashed potatoes fried up with cabbage or other leftover roasted veggies. Already, we’re in leftover territory, although I made this dish as the original meal using homemade mashed potatoes and braised chopped cabbage.  A good meal for fall and winter but one I got tired of after dinner #1.

So, what to do with the leftover leftovers? Adding cheese is always a good option for me, so that was step one. I added a good amount of shredded cheddar into the potato-cabbage mix, plus one egg, and a good sprinkling of Spanish paprika (pimenton), and dumped the mix into a gratin form. Topped with a bit more cheese, I baked it at about 375 F or so for 20 – 30 minutes. Timing depends on how much you have but basically you want the potato-egg mixture to bake through and the cheese on top to brown into a nice crusty topping.

Turns out that the smoky paprika plays very, very well with the sweetness of the cabbage, and of course potatoes and cheese go well together. My leftovers were transformed into a whole new dish; a play on a similar taste basis but taken into a different direction. Lesson: experiment with your leftovers, don’t be afraid to remix. Play a little.

Very Late Summer Pasta Bake

This is more of an improvisation than a recipe, which feels fitting for the very tail end of summer. I used what I had in my kitchen, and I didn’t do any measuring for this one, so here’s a rough sketch of the steps involved.

For one person, collect about 1/2 pint of late summer cherry tomatoes, maybe 3-4 oz orzo (I used what was left in the pasta box but it looked like a little less than 1/2 cup or so), 2 eggs, a small handful of flat-leaf parsely, some grated Parmesan and a dash of Chipotle Tabasco sauce or maybe some smoked paprika.

Mushroom Scramble

For this spur-of-the-moment, dark-hued scramble, thinly slice or dice one shallot and add this to a pat of butter melting in a skillet over medium-low heat. Let the shallot soften for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add anywhere from three to five smallish crimini mushrooms, roughly diced. If the pan is dry, add a bit more butter. Salt and pepper the mushrooms and let them soften and brown for about 5 minutes, then add a healthy splash of sherry. While the liquid reduces (stir once or twice as needed), whisk two eggs in a  bowl with a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Once the shallots and mushrooms have absorbed the sherry butter and have caramelized a bit, spread them out in the pan and pour the eggs over everything. As the eggs start to set, grate a salty/nutty hard cheese like Parmesan (or I can recommend Parrano) to taste over the forming omelet.  Now you can let it set fully and then fold it over into an actual omelet or break it up with your spatula until it becomes the titular scramble. Serving the mushroom scramble with one or two warmed corn tortillas optional.

Cool Rice Salad for Hot Days

For days when it’s just too hot to contemplate cooking, it’s good to have some meals on hand that are filling but don’t require actual cooking. The trick with this one is that you have to plan ahead a bit because the two main components do require the hot stove as well as time – well unless the chickpeas come from the can, which is a good idea in a pinch.

Tonic Upgrade

If there’s a food and drink trend, I tend to trail it. So while various food- and drink-oriented sources have been recommending a move beyond the grocery store tonic waters to something more handcrafted for ages now, I kept making my gin and tonics, including my pink G&T, with the classic Schweppes Tonic. Until I finally happened upon a source for the fancier stuff, and a bargain to boot. My new expert directed me toward two choices of top-shelf tonic water – Fever Tree and Q Tonic.  Since one of them was on special sale, I of course walked out with both versions.

Zucchini “Pasta”

Something to do with the summer squash invasion while also incorporating some of the mint from the huge bunch you may have picked up at the farmers market or your own garden:

4 small zucchini, about 1 pound, julienned

1 clove garlic (or more, if you love garlic), red pepper flakes, vermouth (or white wine)

ricotta, salt and pepper, mint leaves (fresh)

1 can of diced tomatoes (8 oz), I’d recommend ones with jalapeno or similar add-ins, or fresh tomatoes (2-3, depending on size), diced

Start the garlic in a warm pan with olive oil – not too hot so the garlic doesn’t burn. Let the garlic infuse the oil a bit then add the zucchini, sauté for a bit, then add splash of vermouth. Let things meld a bit and the liquid cook down somewhat, then add the tomatoes and Parmesan. Allow things to cook down a bit more. Add ricotta/mint mixture and stir until combined. Serve with bread and white wine, or just as is. Count one coup against the mound of summer squash.

Decadent Spring Pasta

One good way to use up the last of your pancetta (antibiotic-free, organic, humanely-raised) and also celebrate the asparagus bounty that is spring is to improvise on pasta cabonara – in this case sans eggs.

You’ll need: about half a box of linguine fini; 2 strips pancetta, a bunch of thin asparagus (green), a splash of sherry, Parmesan, some heavy cream (optional), pepper, and maybe some red pepper flakes.

Rhubarb Variation – Pink G and T

As an alternative to the Basil-Lime Gimlet, celebrate spring by turning your gin and tonic a delicate hue of pink. Inspired by my love of rhubarb, which had me looking at ways to incorporate it into my kitchen that go beyond pie and compote, I took a look at what other cocktail-oriented websites had to say about combining gin and rhubarb.

I found a post on rhubarb gin, two ways that discussed both hot and cold infusion. Starting form those ideas, I opted to toss my rhubarb pieces with some brown sugar and then warm them in the microwave for a bit before adding them to a bottle of Beefeater’s. Over a week, the gin turned a nice reddish color and took on a definite rhubarb aroma.

After straining out the rhubarb and letting the gin get cold in the fridge, I followed the gin and tonic proportions recommended by Billy’s blog: 1 part gin, 3 parts tonic, 1/2 part simple syrup. Instead of simple syrup, I used my own basil simple syrup (to echo a lovely rhubarb-basil cocktail I had last spring). The end result was a well-balanced gin and tonic with a delicate pink blush that was very refreshing. Lightly sweet with just a hint of sour from the rhubarb and tonic, this is an excellent way to toast spring.

Fun Things to Do With Pita

Here are some things you can do when you have a stack of pita (rounds):

Spinach enchilada (variation): grated Colby Jack cheese, mixed with chopped fresh spinach, between pita halves; proceed as with a classic grilled cheese sandwich: start with one pita half in a hot, oiled cast iron pan, layer on the spinach and cheese, top with second pita half; after about 5 minutes or so, once the bottom pita has crisped and browned, flip the whole thing and let the other side brown.

Tuna melt or vegetarian chickpea of the sea: on a pita, layer spinach leaves (young), tuna salad (or chickpea version), cheddar or Colby Jack and place the sandwich under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Chicken and caramelized onion sandwich with melted cheese: prepare chicken breast following this method – moist and tender chicken breasts – but start the pan off with sliced onion (1 medium onion) in butter and olive oil; let onions soften, then follow the chicken-breast cooking method, stirring onions and leaving chicken in the middle of the pan, surrounded by onions. This will cook the chicken breasts and give you nicely browned and caramelized onions. Then toast the pita half, smear with mayo, pile on onions; leave chicken in pan, add on cheese slices (cheddar or similar), cover pan; maybe fire up the stove again for 30 sec to ensure enough heat to melt cheese; wait about 1 minute; place chicken breast on onions, top with second pita half (also mayo on that, if you want); eat delicious, messy sandwich, perhaps with roasted potatoes on the side.

Herald Spring

To celebrate one of the first truly sunny and warm days that herald spring after long weeks of cool, gray, wet days, make a Basil-Lime Gimlet. Of course, it helps to have a CSA that has basil this early in the season. You need fresh basil for this, but your reward is a lovely pale green drink. Perfect for Spring, Summer or Easter. I recommend eating the basil leaf garnish when you have just a small sip of the drink left. The leaf is green and spicy and just a tad boozy. A refreshing wake-me-up that’s less tart than the drink it adorns.

Personal twist: instead of simple syrup use basil-infused simple syrup to heighten the basil-ness of your cocktail.