Red Potatoes with Sour Cream Sauce

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Susan

We are a family of potato lovers.  And as such, we are always happy to try new ways of eating them, any kind, during any season.

Here is a nice way to have potatoes when your main course is simple and you’d like to spice up the meal a little bit.  We enjoyed these the other evening with simply grilled pork tenderloin, but they would also be nice with a steak or a sturdy fish.

To cook the potatoes, you can simply steam them (put them in about an inch of simmering water, cover the pan and steam for about 8 minutes or until they are fork tender) or you can roast them.  See my previous post about roasting potatoes here.

Red Potatoes with Sour Cream Sauce

Serves 4

6 cooked and quartered medium red potatoes, or about 12-16 baby red potatoes

¾ cup sour cream
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives,
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons horseradish

Combine the sour cream, red onion, chives, mayonnaise and horseradish and stir until well mixed.  Spoon over the hot, cooked potatoes or pass the potatoes and the sauce separately at the table.

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Avocado Soup

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Susan

Many moons ago when I was a young working woman who had the good fortune to travel all over the world for her job, I had a business lunch at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.  The Biltmore in those days had recently been renovated and featured the work of the artist Jim Dine—whose work is now widely known—but then he was a hot, up and coming talent with whom the owner of the Biltmore had commissioned all of the interior art for the hotel’s public spaces and rooms.   I remember the traditional, beautiful guest rooms had  high ceilings, and what appeared at first to be classic, elegant moldings.  But when you looked more closely, you saw that the tools of the artist were imbedded into the molding—so that paint rollers, paint tubes, drip trays, spacklers, screwdrivers, hammers, rolls of tape and all kinds of other things were stuck to the molding where the eye was expecting twirly cartouches—but all painted white so as not to be easily noticed–very subtle, clever and whimsical.

But back to lunch, the gentleman I was lunching with was the Director of Marketing for the hotel.  As icebreaker talk, he gave me a big pitch about how good the avocado soup was and how I must have it as an appetizer.  Being a sport, and breaking the ice right back, I bypassed the ceviche I was craving and ordered the avocado soup.  It had me at my first spoonful.

After all that, this recipe is not from the Biltmore (I never thought to ask), but is a version of one that I found in the New York Times Cookbook that is pretty darn close.  One thing that the Craig Claiborne version didn’t include was lemon juice and I thought long and hard (is that weird?) about whether or not to add lemon.  Because when you taste it without the lemon, you get the full force of the subtle flavor of avocado.  I was worried that the lemon would taste too much like guacamole.  But when I finally decided that I really needed to do it, I added just the tablespoon of lemon juice and to my taste, this brightened the dish right to where I loved it.

This is easy to make and is a really nice appetizer for a dinner party.  Serve it in chilled demitasse cups with tiny spoons—sitting in a living room or on a patio, summer soup doesn’t get much better than this.

Avocado Soup

4 to 6 servings (6 for sure if you use demitasse cups)

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup sour cream
½ cup half and half
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chives, for garnish

Preparation:

Wash, peel and cut the avocado into large pieces. Combine the avocado with all of the other ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and well blended.  Taste and correct the seasonings.  Store the soup in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until very cold.  Taste again, correct the seasonings and serve with snipped chives on top.

Posted in Appetizer, Soup and Stew | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Susan

In our house, the NBA finals are drop-everything-and-watch events.  Big parties aren’t the thing—because they can get noisy and distract from the action of the game.  Little parties with guests carefully selected for their commitment and ability to focus on the action are the only way to go for this family.

The food is kind of incidental, but I’ve found that I can always get the guys’ attention with a munchie that has a little kick to it.  This one is a favorite—all of the ingredients of Jalapeño Poppers mixed together into a yummy dip.  This goes well with a beer, or a cool glass of mint iced tea.  Enjoy the game!

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese
2 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
2 ounces pickled jalapeno peppers, drained
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Stir all together and microwave for 2 minutes or heat in the oven until bubbly.  Serve with Fritos scoopers or tortilla strips.

Posted in Appetizer, Snack | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant and Zucchini Rolls

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Susan

Browsing the cookbook aisle at the library a few weeks ago, I found a lovely book called Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein.  The title strikes me as both redundant and apt, because when I think of Mediterranean food, I already think of fresh, sun-ripened produce, and simple ingredients put together in a flavorful and healthy way. The book is filled with easy to assemble ideas for summer salads and one-plate meals made with uncomplicated combinations of readily available ingredients.

This recipe is adapted from the book, and I have already made it three times.  It’s good for company, because you can prepare all of the parts in advance and just roll them up at the last minute. These are lovely hors d’oeurves on their own—or a substantial addition to a summer buffet.

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant and Zucchini Rolls

Makes 36 rolls

2 globe eggplants
3 medium zucchini
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup soft fresh goat cheese
¼ cup chopped herbs (any combination of parsley, basil, chives or oregano is fine)
¼ cup tapenade (from the store, or freshly made as below) mixed with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Wash, dry and then cut each eggplant and zucchini in half lengthwise.  Slice each half lengthwise into 1/3 inch slices.  Layer the vegetable slices in a colander, sprinkling each layer lightly with kosher salt.  Let stand for at least 30 minutes so that they will release some of their moisture.  Thoroughly pat the slices dry.  In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the eggplant and zucchini slices in a single layer and fry them, turning occasionally, until they are tender and soft and lightly browned in places.  Repeat with the remaining slices, adding olive oil as needed. Transfer the slices to paper towels to drain and remove excess oil.

To make the filling, combine the goat cheese, the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Place a little cheese on the wider end of each vegetable slice and roll up.

Set the rolls on a serving dish and drizzle with the tapenade/olive oil mixture.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

For the Tapenade:

Makes 1 ¼ cups

1 cup pitted black olives
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
2 teaspoons chopped anchovies
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy (optional)

Combine the olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, and zest in the container of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Gradually add the olive oil; you can make this a very smooth puree or keep some texture.  Add pepper to taste and the Cognac if using.  Store covered, in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before using.

Posted in Appetizer | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Simple Ceviche

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Susan

The first time I tasted ceviche, I loved the fresh, spicy tang of this perfect summertime fish dish.  The combination of citrus and seafood always appeals to me and red onion, cilantro and avocado are the perfect complement.  I was at first amazed by the chemistry of the lime juice actually “cooking” the fish—but that’s exactly what happens—so if you haven’t made this before, don’t panic—you didn’t skip a step.  The only trick to this dish is to buy the freshest fish available—and if there isn’t any to be found—don’t make this.  I only serve this for special occasions—fresh halibut in my market can cost $20 or more a pound, so this is a splurge—but worth every bite.

Simple Ceviche

6 Servings
Ingredients:
1 pound very fresh boneless, skinless halibut or other firm light fish
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
kosher salt
1 small ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1. Cube the fish into ½-inch pieces and place in a glass bowl.
2.  Add the red onion, black pepper and lime juice.  Mix well, cover and refrigerate for an hour, stirring about every 15 minutes.
3. Just before serving, add a teaspoon of kosher salt to the ceviche and mix well.
4. Spoon the mixture into a shallow bowl or deep serving platter and gently stir in the avocado and cilantro leaves.  Serve in small glass or ceramic bowls with small forks.

Posted in Appetizer, Fish, Salad | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Spinach Salad with Lime Soy Vinaigrette

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Bob Gall

When the weather is hot and humid, I want a good salad to be the centerpiece of whatever meal I’m eating.  Spinach salad is especially good—because with this satisfying combination, you really don’t need much else except a tall glass of iced tea.  Making this for lunch or dinner is easy, healthy (especially if you use the turkey bacon), and fills you up.  My version is a little bit different from the classic spinach salad—which is delicious—but usually features a dressing made with sugar.  So many of my friends are low-carb eaters that I almost always make mine without sugar, and I have come to really like this tangy, citrusy version.  But if you crave that traditional sweet and sour taste, it would be fine to add a tablespoon of sugar or two.

Spinach Salad with Lime Soy Vinaigrette

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients for the Salad:

1 bunch fresh spinach
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
4 slices turkey or pork bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
10 fresh button mushrooms
1 small purple onion, ½ cup into rings, ½ chopped

Ingredients for the Dressing:

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon curry powder

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing, whisk together and taste for seasoning.  Set aside.

Wash the spinach well and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.  When you’re ready to serve, place the spinach in a large salad bowl.  Toss with the chopped purple onion.  Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of dressing over and toss.  Taste and add more dressing until it is to your liking.  Add the egg slices, bacon, mushrooms and red onion rings and gently toss just to combine.

Posted in Salad | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments