Asparagus and Pea Salad with Fried Shallots

This is a welcome departure from your every day greens and dressing. I was inspired by a fava bean/asparagus salad recipe in Bon Appetit.  The salad is served cold, but be sure to save the frying of the shallots for the last minute- you want them to be extra crispy.  You know how chefs are always talking about peeling asparagus?  I never, ever peel my asparagus.  I snap off the woody end and get to cooking.  This time, I took the advice of Ina and Martha and peeled the ends of the asparagus with a peeler.  What a nice, elegant difference it made!   No stringy ends, and nothing stuck between the teeth either.

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 T. parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 1 bunch asparagus (trimmed and peeled:)
• 1 C. frozen, thawed peas
• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

Combine the olive oil, parmesan, and lemon juice with a whisk and season with salt and pepper, then set it aside.  Heat a saucepan of water to a boil and drop in the asparagus.  Cook for about three minutes, until just tender.  Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.  Toss the thawed peas and cooked, cooled asparagus into a bowl with the dressing. Cover and chill.  Just before serving, heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium high heat.  Fry the shallots until golden brown and crispy, about two minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper towel.  Top the cold salad with the hot shallots and serve.  A little sprinkling of crunchy Maldon salt at the end would be totes delish!

Chicken and Apricot Tagine

I adapted this recipe from a book I read recently called The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz.  It’s one of the few recipes in the book that’s not a dessert(which all looked fabulous too).  The book is a funny collection of stories and recipes all about the charming author’s adventures moving to Paris from San Francisco.  I have made it twice in the last two weeks, both for company.  Everyone who has tried it has really enjoyed it.  It’s not difficult once you have all the ingredients on hand.  The best part is that you can make it ahead and reheat it if you’re serving it for a dinner party.   Also, there is about an hour of “hands-off” cooking time, which is great if you have other dishes to prepare or floors to vacuum before your guests arrive!  Serves 4-6

• 4 oz. dried apricots
• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 t. ground ginger
• 1 t. ground turmeric
• 2 t. paprika or 1 t. smoked paprika
• 1/4 t. saffron
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t. Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T. butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 C. chicken stock
• 1/3 C. fresh parsley (the original recipe called for cilantro, but my dad hates it, so I used parsley.  Do what  you want!)
• 1 T. honey
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 C. sliced blanched almonds, toasted

Heat a cup of water to boiling and pour it into a bowl with the apricots to plump them.  Let them sit in the water while you prepare the chicken. In a large bowl combine the ginger, turmeric,  paprika, saffron, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Add the chicken thighs and toss them around to coat them in the spices.  It’s easiest to do this with your hands, but if you don’t wear gloves your fingernails will be stained yellow by the turmeric for several days- which I learned the hard way.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven and add the onions. Cook until the onions begin to soften, about three minutes.  Add the chicken and cook for about three minutes, turning the pieces to brown them.  Pour in the stock and add the parsley.  Put the lid on and put the whole pot into the oven for 50 minutes.  Take the pot out of the oven and remove the chicken to a deep serving platter, cover with foil to keep warm.  Put the Dutch oven with the sauce in it back on the stove and bring it to a boil.  Add the honey, lemon juice and the drained apricots and simmer until it reduces by about one-third.  For me this took about ten minutes.  Taste for seasoning.  Pour the sauce and apricots over the chicken in the platter.  Top with a bit more parsley or cilantro and the toasted almonds.  Serve this with something that will help absorb some sauce, like rice, couscous, or polenta.

 

Special Dark Chocolate Pudding

I recently read an article in Saveur about the best types of chocolate for making homemade chocolate pudding.  Surprisingly there were a few supermarket brands of chocolate that were clear winners in the experiment.  One of them being Hershey’s Special Dark.  Chocolate pudding and chocolate mousse are my favorite desserts so I had to give Special Dark a try in my own pudding recipe.  The results were terrific.  Rich, dark, smooth, not too bitter- no more fancy, expensive, hard-to-find chocolate necessary. This takes ten minutes to make- even better.  Makes 6 small ramekins or 4 large ones.

• a scant 1/2 C. sugar
• 2/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 T. cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 C. milk, I used 1%
• 1/2 C. heavy cream
• 4 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate, such as Special Dark (the bar comes in a convenient 4.25 oz. package, leaving one little rectangle of chocolate left over which you will have no choice but to eat yourself while you are making this.  What else are you going to do with it?)
• 1 T. rum or other liqueur
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla

In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt.  Slowly whisk in the milk and cream over medium-low heat.  Continue whisking until mixture begins to thicken and bubble, about four minutes.  Stir in the chopped chocolate until melted fully.  Remove from heat and stir in the rum and vanilla.  Divide into ramekins, cover, and chill.

 

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Fresh Mango Salsa

Turn on the slow cooker on your way out the door.  Come home and spend 5 minutes throwing together this simple salsa, and you’ve got a healthy and flavorful meal in no time.  Taco night is all about the toppings…

• 1 3 lb. pork shoulder
• 2 t. cumin
• 2 t. chili powder
• 2 t. garlic powder
• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 1 not-too-ripe mango, diced small
• 1 jalapeno, diced small
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 4 green onions, minced
• 1/2 C. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• crumbled cotija cheese and corn tortillas for serving

Place the pork in the slow cooker and sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over it evenly.  Put the onion quarters around the outside of the pork.  Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 8 hours.  To make the salsa, toss all the other ingredients together in a bowl.  Taste and adjust seasonings.    Shred the pork with two large forks and serve on warm tortillas topped with mango salsa.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This recipe comes from my friend Joelle.  She inspires me to create really great tasting vegan dishes.  When she brought these cupcakes to work one day I honestly couldn’t believe they were vegan.  Don’t make these because they’re vegan, make them because they’re awesome.  Makes 24 cupcakes.

For the cake:

• ¾ C. applesauce
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• 2 ¼ C. flour
• 1 ½ C sugar
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 ½ t. cinnamon
• ½ t. nutmeg, freshly grated
• ½ t. salt
• 1 C. canola oil
• ½ C. plain soymilk
• 2 C. shredded carrots
• 1 ½ C. flaked coconut
• ¾ C. chopped walnuts
• ½ C. raisins

For the icing:

• ½ C. softened Earth Balance vegan margarine
• 1/2 C. Tofutti cream cheese, softened
• 4 C. confectioners’ sugar
• 2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with paper baking cups, or spray with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine the baking powder and applesauce and set aside.  The mixture will become foamy. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, soy milk, carrots, and applesauce mixture and mix well, about two minutes.  Stir in the coconut, nuts, and raisins.  Pour into cupcake pan, and bake for 18-20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Allow to cool before frosting.  To make the frosting, combine the margarine, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Icing recipe: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero.

Spring Garden Deviled Eggs

These beautiful little blooming deviled eggs are fully edible.  Wild violets are a terrific addition to salads or cakes.  Why not use them to decorate deviled eggs?  Be sure they haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals before picking.  Use chives for the “grass” and you’re all set!

• 10 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 3 T. mayonnaise
• 1 t. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t. mustard powder
• 2 t. rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 t. salt
• wild violet and chive garnish

Cut the eggs through the equator to make round cups instead of oblong.  Carefully scoop out the yolks.  Place the yolks and all other ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.  You may need to add a few drops of water if the mixture seems too thick.  Use a spoon to fill each egg white cup with the yolk mixture- you’re going for a natural look here, no need to be too fussy.  Stick your flowers and herbs in and chill.

Apricot Glazed Ham

Don’t be seduced by the convenience of a spiral sliced ham.  You can do better!  This is so easy it barely counts as a recipe.  Yet it yields a succulent, juicy ham that you can be proud to serve.  Look for a butt ham that is not sliced, with the bone still in.  (p.s. the butt is actually the top half of the leg.)

• 1 7lb. butt ham
• 1 C. apricot jam
• 1/4 C. grainy honey mustard

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a Dutch oven place the ham, cut side down.  Bake in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove the ham from the oven and score the top, cutting with a sharp knife about 1/2 inch down into the ham in a cross hatched pattern.

   

Mix the jam and mustard together in a bowl and spread all over the top of the ham.  Return the ham to the oven for another 40 minutes.  Remove the ham and let it sit for about ten minutes before slicing.