Ravioli with Sundried Tomatoes and Fava Beans

The final vegetables to be used from last week’s vegetable box delivery was another new to me veggie- fava beans.

These double pod beans have the most protective surroundings I’m aware of.

After removing the beans from the large sponge-like-lined bean pods, I tossed the beans into boiling water to blanch.

Post blanched fava beans.

The job to prepare these well-packed beans is not over yet.

Simple tear a bit off the end of the protective skin and give a little squeeze to the beans.

The fava beans should easily slip out. Now, the beans are ready to be used.

Spinach stuffed ravioli made the perfect base for a simple sundried tomato and fava bean topping.

Once the fava beans were shelled, this dish was ready in 15 minutes.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Italian Dish

serves 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh fava beans, pods removed

2 servings prepared ravioli

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

6 sundried tomatoes, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2-4 Tablespoons grated pecorino cheese, plus more for garnishing

12 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Method

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Put another large pot of salted water on to boil to blanch the fava beans.
   Place a large bowl of ice water next to your stovetop.
2. When the blanching water boils, throw the shelled fava beans into the pot and blanch them for about one minute.  Remove them  to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.  Remove the translucent skin from the beans by peeling off a bit of the skin and gently squeezing the beans.
3. Add the ravioli to the pasta water to cook and start preparing your sauce.
4. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter, the onion and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and pine nuts and cook until both have begun to toast, about 2 minutes, stirring often to keep the garlic from burning.
6. Add the red pepper flakes, oregano and 3/4 cup of the pasta water and mix to combine.  Add the fava beans.
7. When the ravioli begins to float, remove with a strainer and add right to the skillet with the onion and fava bean mixture.  Gently toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce, about 1 minute.
8. Remove the skillet from the heat.  Add the salt and pepper, the rest of the butter and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the grated pecorino cheese and the basil and mix everything together well.  Serve sprinkled liberally with more pecorino and black pepper.

Enjoy!

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Israeli Couscous with Garlic Green Beans

Green beans have always been one of my favorite vegetables.

I attribute my green bean love to my grandparents.

Every spring, my grandpa plants an incredible vegetable garden. He plants lettuce, sweet corn, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, even peanuts, garlic and strawberries.

Although he was always on a careful planting schedule when I was young, he’d save green bean planting to do with me.

Green beans were always our special crop.

 

Together, we’d prepare the soil, plant the seeds, give them their first drink of water and mark the rows. Every time my family and I would visit between spring and summer, my grandpa would take me out to the garden and proudly announce, “Look how much our beans have grown.”

In my mind, they were our beans, Grandpa’s and mine.

When the green beans were ready to harvest, Grandpa would call me up and exclaim that it was time to pick our beans.

He always waited and let me pick the first bean of the season.

Once we had a bucket full of freshly picked green beans, we’d bring them into the kitchen and my Grandma would take over.

She taught me how to snap off the ends and cook the beans to perfection with a butter and bacon.

Years later, when I announced my vegetarianism, my grandparents made the ultimate sacrifice- they stopped cooking bacon with the green beans.

My brothers will be the first to admit that Grandma and Grandpa’s green beans just aren’t the same without the bacon, but they all lovingly made that change for me.

Even now, when I travel back to the US, my grandparents cook up green beans from the garden; specially saved and frozen for my next return.

As I opened my CSA delivery this week and found a brown paper bag full of green beans, I was instantly taken back.

Taken back to my grandparents’ garden, full of love, learning, gentleness and guidance.

Although I wish I could have shared this green bean meal with my grandparents, I’m happy I can share it with you.

Israeli Couscous with Garlic, Green Beans, Zucchini and Pine Nuts

Makes 3 servings ~ Ready in 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 large handfuls fresh green beans

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 Tablespoons butter

1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous

1 3/4 cups boiling vegetable broth (or water with stock granules)

2 Heaping tablespoons pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parmesan cheese to garnish

Method

1. Clean the green beans, remove the ends and cut into 1 inch pieces. Steam until slightly tender. Remove from heat.
2. Place 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium sized pan along with the couscous. Cook over medium-high heat until the couscous begins to turn golden brown. Slowly stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until melted. Add the garlic, shallots and zucchini. Sauté until the zucchini becomes slightly tender. Add the steamed green beans and continue to cook for a couple more minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
4. Add the pine nuts to the vegetable mixture and cook until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. To serve, place the vegetables over the couscous and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese.

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful fathers and grandfathers out there… especially mine.

I love you all so much.

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Mushroom,Eggplant and Garlic Pizza

Keeping with tradition, tonight was pizza night.

This pizza was so simple to put together.

Faster than ordering delivery and deliciously fresh.

I used a thawed and risen portion of fresh yeast pizza dough as a base.

Topped it with leftover marinara sauce, fresh crimini mushrooms, eggplant and garlic, then used an assortment of cheeses, including fresh mozzarella, parmesan and crumbly goat cheese.

I sprinkled the pizza with Italian seasoning, drizzled the top with olive oil then baked it on my oven’s hottest setting until cooked.

Awesome.

Now I want the leftovers.

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Sicilian Pasta with Cauliflower

Amidst report writing this evening, I took a much needed break to made a delicious dinner.

A lovely head of cauliflower was delivered in my CSA box this week and thanks to tastespotting, I found the inspiration for my meal.

Using the ingredients I had on hand, I slightly altered the original recipe; making this a vegan pasta dish while maintaining the addition of a protein through TVP ‘breadcrumbs’.

If you are looking interested in detailed step-by-step photo instructions, I encourage you to visit Ward Street Bistro.

The ingredient list is quite simple, relying mainly on pantry staples.

Gently toast the TVP in olive oil until it turns golden brown and resembles breadcrumbs, set aside. Wipe out the skillet, add more olive oil then cook the cauliflower over medium heat until soft.

Once the cauliflower is softened, add the garlic and tomato paste mixture. Cook for a few minutes then add the saffron water, capers, chili peppers, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened into a sauce. Add the cooked pasta with a bit of pasta water if necessary.

  Serve the pasta topped with chopped fresh parsley and the TVP breadcrumbs.

Enjoy!

Sicilian Pasta with Cauliflower and TVP Breadcrumbs

Vegan~ Vegetarian~ Serves 4

Inspired by Ward Street Bistro

Ingredients

1/3 cup small textured vegetable protein (TVP,) slightly rehydrated with 1 teaspoon water

1 tablespoon of olive oil

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large head cauliflower, core removed, florets finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons roughly chopped capers

A generous pinch crumbled saffron dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

3/4 pound whole wheat pasta

Finely chopped Italian parsley

2 crumbled small dried chilies

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the fresh TVP and toast until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Combine the tomato paste and juice from the can of tomatoes in a small bowl. Stir to combine (reserving the diced tomatoes).
3. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped cauliflower to the skillet. Cook the cauliflower until it is softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste/juice mixture to the skillet. Cover and simmer the sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is very tender.
5. Add the reserved diced tomatoes, the roughly chopped capers, and the dissolved saffron to the skillet.
6. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, over medium heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the crumbled dried chilies and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Turn the drained, hot pasta into the warm sauce and stir thoroughly to combine.
8. Serve immediately garnished with the toasted TVP ‘breadcrumbs’ and chopped parsley.

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Garlic Herb Bread

After 5 days in Berlin, we made it back to Bonn safely this evening.

This time around, the Berlin trip was full of Bs.

Baptism

BBQs

Beer

Not necessarily in that order.

More on Berlin to come later, for now, I’m off to do a couple more Bs.

Bath

Bed

Enjoy this previously planned post on a delicious bread that came easily be added to any BBQ this grilling season.

Although this may seem too simple to deserve a recipe, this half-homemade garlic bread is too good not to share.

 Simple, herby garlic bread- what could be better?

  I used an olive baguette, chives and parsley along with the standard soy butter, salt, garlic and spring onion.

Juicy chunks of olives really added to the taste.

Slice the bread diagonally without going all the way through.

  See? Still together although cut apart.

My food processor is on the fritz so I used a hand-held submersion blender to mix together the garlic herb butter.

  Spread the slices apart and generously smear the butter inside.

Lookin’ good.

Place the loaf on aluminum foil and wrap it up.

This can be cooked in the oven or even on the grill.

Such a lovely reward.

Ingredients

1 loaf French or Italian bread

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 small shallot or 1 spring onion

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup fresh herbs such as parsley, chives or rosemary

salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the bread diagonally into 1.5 inch slices being careful not to cut all the way through.
2. Add the butter, shallot, garlic, herbs and salt in a food process and combine until well mixed.
3. Spread the butter mixture between the bread slices, wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and bake at 500 F for 5-7 minutes.

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Marinated Vegetable Kebabs

Our tiny electric balcony grill was put into action this weekend.

I came home from work on Friday and made a quick lemon dill marinade, based off of the lemon thyme marinade which was my standby last grill season.

I chopped up a handful of fresh dill, grated the zest of 1/2 a lemon…

added the juice of 1/2 a lemon, some salt, red pepper flakes, olive oil and a dollop of sweet mustard. Once whisked together, I added a bunch of aging vegetables.

Mushrooms, red and green peppers, zucchini and red onions.

Once the lid was on, these veggies were given a good shake to distribute the marinade.

I thought we would have the kebabs for dinner Friday night, but we ended up spending the evening drinking beer and playing in the park by the Rhine.

Josh’s diverse beer collection.

Friday was such a gorgeous Spring day.

The two German boyfriends from our group.

Living in Europe and hanging out with friends in the park after work, who wouldn’t want this life?

 

Monkey see, monkey do.

Lucky for us, Matt and Josh both have adorable little boys who provided most of the entertainment for the evening.

Lucky for them, Jan brought his bike and trailer to entertain the boys.

After detaching the trailer from the bike, the boys took turns pulling one another around. It was a fun, relaxing, simple Friday night.

So, rather than veggie kebabs, I had a falafel sandwich for dinner. While we were out, the kebabs were back home, soaking up the marinade.

On Saturday, after marinating for 20 hours, I finally grilled the vegetables. I was worried that the mushrooms would fall apart so tried to place sturdier vegetables around them. I added a couple of potatoes to the skewers as well.

I turned my little electric grill to high power and added the prepared kebabs.

Keeping a careful eye on the grill, I rotated the veggies as they began to darken.

The charred red peppers were the best!

Eaten alongside garlic herb bread, I pulled the veggies off of the kebabs to enjoy as a grilled salad topping.

Fresh and scrumptious!

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Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

I am not very good at following recipes. Even when I have the best intentions, I somehow either forget something, add too much or too little of something else or end up over/ under cooking.

On Friday, I had every intention to make the Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup recipe from Clean Start.

Unfortunately, I didn’t read the recipe carefully enough and was coming towards the end of cooking before I realized that I should have roasted two heads of cauliflower, not just one.

What’s a girl to do?

Quick, microwave two potatoes. There, extra bulk.

Although I’m sure the original recipe is better than my mishap version, it was still quite tasty and comforting.

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic bulb

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 large potatoes, cubed

2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese cooking wine)

2 teaspoons sea salt

5-6 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

ground white pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place cauliflower and potato in a large baking dish and toss with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Cut off top of garlic and drizzle olive oil over. Rub the olive oil into the bulb then wrap in aluminum foil. Place the garlic and vegetables in the oven and roast for 1 hour, stirring every now and then. Remove from oven and set aside. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, gently squeeze the bulb to release the roasted garlic cloves. Discard peel and garlic skins.
3. In a large soup pot, sauté onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium low heat until translucent. Add the roasted vegetables, garlic, mirin, salt and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the soup from the heat and blend until smooth with a handheld blender. Return the soup and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Before serving, stir in the remaining olive oil. Garnish with more fresh thyme leaves and serve with crispy herbed bread.

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