tabbouleh

I recently bought one too many bunches of parsley. I had forgotten that I had most of a bunch at home when I bought the second, and then my sister gave me most of her leftover bunch after using the couple of tablespoons she had needed for a recipe. She also gave me some mint. What to do with all of this parsley? Tabbouleh. I developed a taste for middle-eastern food when I worked at a lebanese restaurant in college; I still remember the special wrapped sandwich the cook would make me when I left for the day - vegetarian grapeleaves, baba gannoush, hummus, tabbouleh and broken up pieces of freshly fried falafel (this sandwich was not on the menu). It was a huge sandwich, which I could eat for 2 meals, although it wasn't as good the next day. So, presented with an overload of parsley, I made tabbouleh. It was easy, healthy, and delicious, and I decided I should make it more frequently. I am really hoping my mint grows like crazy!

Tabbouleh
2C. finely chopped parsley
1/2C. finely chopped mint
1/2C. bulgar
2T. lemon juice
1-2 chopped tomatoes
2-3T. olive oil
1/2t. salt

Boil ~2C. water; pour over bulgar, cover and let sit 15 minutes. While bulgar is sitting, chop parlsey, mint and tomato, and combine in a bowl with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Drain bulgar and add to parsley mixture; mix well, and eat. It tastes better after sitting, either at room temperature or in the fridge, for 30minutes.

gardening

They arrived in the mail today; their names are otto, tom, ruby, red, sherry and............This is my third effort at vegetable gardening. The results of my first effort were 2 very tall and weedy tomato plants that failed to bear any semblance of fruit. It really wasn't a very strong effort on my part in that I essentially stuck the plants in 2 pots in a mostly shady spot by the garage and forgot about them until late summer when I noticed that they were still there and somehow expected fruit. Late last summer I planted a few herbs in pots by a sunny window, and these faired somewhat better. My current effort involves a two-pronged approach of starting herbs from seeds, and the tomato plants, which arrived in the mail today. I feel I may have over watered the herbs, but they don't appear to be too drowned (yet). The thyme is the first to come up, but there is still no sign of the basil, mint or lavender. The tomatoes need to be transplanted to bigger pots this weekend, and I'll continue to grow them inside until it warms up more permanently (does this really exist here?).

Strawberry-rhubarb crisp

It's hard to cook this time of year. It begins in March, when the winter starts to be too long, and then 'spring' rolls around, and every year I somehow expect there to be fresh local produce in April. Who am I kidding? The motherload of fresh produce doesn't really exist in any form until July, and really only truly arrives in August and September. I grow weary of hearty greens and citrus, and crave berries and tomatoes. But what is it that I REALLY want? Strawberry-rhubarb crisp. Every spring I want this. This year, however, I actually get to make one. How, one might ask, do I have both such fruits in April? I have to thank both my husband and our gigantic freezer in the basement. Husband, because he bought armfuls of rhubarb last year, despite my protest that it was way too much. The freezer I thank for being so deep that I forget what's in the bottom, otherwise I surely would have eaten the rhubarb months ago. For an early taste of spring, I'll make this:

Strawberry-rhubarb crisp
Filling:
2lbs. rhubarb, cut into 1/2in. slices
1.5lbs. strawberries, halved
1C. sugar
3T. cornstarch
1T. lemon juice (~1/2 a lemon)
1/8t. salt
Topping:
2/3C. flour
3/4C. packed brown sugar
1/4t. salt
1/2C. rolled oats
1/4-1/2C. nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans or a mixture)
1/4t. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine all ingredients for filling in a large bowl and mix carefully; spoon filling into a 3-quart baking dish. Stir together dry topping ingredients in a bowl, then blend in butter with a pastry cutter or fork until a coarse mixture is formed. Spoon topping evenly over filling. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is lightly browned, 45-60 minutes (slightly longer if using frozen fruit).

Pizza

I am just as apt as the next person to order a pizza for dinner when I don't feel like cooking, especially since I have can pick one up on my walk home from the train. However, I would argue that take-out pizza is way overrated, because it's fun, delicious, and relatively simple to make at home. The crust is a simple yeast dough (flour, salt, olive oil, yeast) which doesn't require a long rise. Whether you make it yourself, or use frozen dough from the store, it's also generally a lot less greasy than anything you would order in. It took me awhile to realize this, but it also doesn't require a ton of toppings. In this regard, it's somewhat like an omelet in that it's a good way to make use of those leftover bits of things that too often go to waste. If you do decide you like to make your own dough, like me, you can make a large batch and freeze it, which saves even more time during the week. My current favorite is extremely simple, just fresh mozzarella (even better in the summer with fresh basil). I like to make my own pizza sauce, too,which is also very simple (can of tomatoes, oregano, olive oil, salt). In the summer, you can also throw the pizza on the grill, which cooks super fast, but requires a little variation in topping choice given the short cooking time. One of my current endeavors is to perfect my crust; to be honest, the quality of my crust is quite variable. It probably doesn't help that I never remember which recipe I used last, and since the differences between recipes is so subtle, I usually just grab whichever cookbook is the most handy. Hopefully if I document my progress here it will help.

Pizza dough (1) (makes 2 pizzas)
1C. water (110 degrees F)

pinch of sugar

1/4oz. yeast

1t. salt

2 3/4C. all-purpose flour

1-2T. olive oil

In a mixing bowl, whisk sugar into warm water. Whisk in yeast, and let stand ~5 minutes, or until foamy. In a food processor pulse flour and salt to combine. Pour in yeast mixture and oil, then pulse until dough just comes together. Squeeze a handful; it should feel smooth and moist, but not stick to your fingers. Knead until a smooth ball forms. Place ball in an oiled bowl; cover and let rise until roughly doubled (~1h). Deflate dough, divide into 2 balls. Place one ball back in bowl, and roll remaining ball into a round and place on parchment or silpat. Cover and let rest at least 5 minutes (up to 1h) before baking pizza. Wrap remaining ball in plastic wrap, then foil, before storing in freezer (you will need to thaw overnight in the fridge before using).

Meatloaf

I hated meatloaf as a kid; I also hated meatballs in any format (swedish, barbeque, with spaghetti). However, as an adult I have discovered that I love both, so long as they are good. I have made several, and the best ones have some complexity to them, such as fruit, nuts, or a combination of meats, and I definitely don't like them to be too heavy/leaden. A basic recipe is also quite good, but I really loved both the recipes I made recently, apricot turkey meatloaf and this rustic french meatloaf. Meatballs are a bit more finicky, but meatloaf is a great dish to make on a Sunday and eat through-out the week, since a single loaf goes a long way. For dinner all one needs is a vegetable side, and though you can eat it cold, I prefer it pan-fried in a bit of olive oil, or warmed in the toaster oven for a few minutes. I haven't quite come around to eating a meatloaf sandwich, but we'll see.