Hurry And Eat A Pomegranate Before They're Gone!

Every fall when pomegranates start showing up in the markets I get very excited about this historic jewel. We love to just quarter the ruby colored fruit, peel off chucks of arils, still clinging to the membrane, and bite into those juicy garnet nuggets of fiber and antioxidants.

The other day most of the pomegranates looked a little past ripe so we bought a couple to ensure we'd get a fresh one. This one was beginning to turn brown near the skin but turned out fine.

When using the seeds alone in a meal just loosen them by tapping the pomegranate with the back of spoon.

Here's another technique that I haven't tried but looks like an effective way to remove all the seeds and contain the pomegranate juice so it doesn't squirt and stain your clothes or make a mess.

Or, Whole Foods does it all for you and fresh seeds can be purchased in a container (but, it's not as much fun that way).

Sprinkle the seeds over fruit salads or salads that you like to make. Incorporate them into meals, garnish pancakes or waffles - their vibrant color will open up tired eyes!

Here's a refreshing and colorful salad I made:

Canteloupe, proscuitto, chopped mint leaves, and pomegranate seeds. A powerful antioxidant meal, loaded with pure flavors. Use proscuitto or feta cheese for added protein - goes exceptionally well with canteloupe. But use a little if watching sodium levels or use walnuts instead. And I think grapes would be a nice addition to this salad.

A salad recipe I found that sounds tasty is a spinach salad with pomegranate seeds, walnuts, chickpeas, red onion, and feta, http://mideastfood.about.com/od/soupssalads/r/spinach_salad_pomegranate_chickpea.htm. And I think slices of nectarines or oranges would taste good in a spinach salad with pomegranate seeds.

I even put pomegranate seeds in a rice side dish for a little added crunch and antioxidant punch:

Don't wait!  Eat a pomegranate before they're gone.

Summer Squash Ravioli and Broccolini

I finally used the ravioli I bought this fall at the local farmers' market. A representative from Fior D'Italia sells delicious pastas that are made in Manchester, Vermont. Tonight's ravioli contained zucchini, yellow squash, ricotta, tomatoes, romano, basil, salt and pepper. With all those wonderful ingredients, I really didn't need to do much other than boil it, drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and serve it.

But, I needed to use up a bulb of garlic that was getting old so I decided to roast the garlic to bring out its sweetness, which tastes delicious and makes it more tolerable for the kids to eat.

How I prepared this meal:
I sliced off the top of the entire garlic bulb, placed over foil, drizzled each clove with olive oil, wrapped and roasted the bulb at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until soft when squeezed. I stopped at 30 minutes because we were hungry but I think it should have cooked for about 40-45 minutes.

While the garlic was roasting, I boiled the ravioli and when they started to float I removed them with a slotted spoon and placed in a platter. I poured a little of the starchy water the ravioli cooked in over them so they wouldn't stick.

When garlic was done, I squeezed the soft cloves out of their skins and into a pan with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup of butter (I used organic Earth Balance to reduce the amount of lactose in the meal). It sounds like a lot of butter but we had a lot of ravioli.

Then I heated the garlic through for about 3-5 minutes, added a little more pasta water, poured the sauce over the pasta through a strainer (so the garlic wouldn't overwhelm the dish and turn my kids away), letting just a few bits of sweet roasted garlic fall onto the ravioli.  This is where my son helped and did a great job!

For simplicity and speed, I steamed a bunch of broccolini in the microwave instead of boiling or sautéing (in hindsight, I should have boiled the broccolini first and then the ravioli in the same water and pot). To prepare, I trimmed off the bottom thicker part of the stems and rinsed in a strainer. The stems are tender and really don't need to be trimmed like broccoli but I know my kids won't eat that part (they can be used for something else like soup). Leaving water residue on them, I placed them in a small glass casserole dish, loosely covered, and heated them for 3 minutes.

For a beautiful finish, garnish the platter with the broccolini like in the first picture above.

Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans, Light and Easy

After the holidays I needed a day off from meat and heavy foods.  This swiss chard, cannellini bean, shallot, and garlic dish was a nice change.

Swiss chard is nutritious, offering a good source of vitamins, like A, C and K, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and other minerals, and antioxidants.  It is high in sodium, however, so I didn't add salt when I made this.  Cannellini beans are a good source of fiber and protein and an excellent source of iron and more.

Chop up ingredients - 1 bunch swiss chard, 1 shallot and 1 garlic clove. I removed most of the stems for this dish.

Saute shallots first in olive oil.

Add the garlic next, just until heated through so it won't burn, then add about a 1/4 cup of chicken stock (use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version), the swiss chard and beans (1 can, rinsed).  Saute until the swiss chard looks tender like this (takes just a few minutes):

Can be eaten as its own meal or as a side dish.  Drizzle on a little fresh lemon for added brightness and fresh ground pepper.

I was really in the mood for fish that night (plus I didn't think the kids would like swiss chard and beans) so I broiled some swordfish (about 7 minutes each side from middle rack with a little olive oil and lemon).  We were in New Hampshire, Franconia Notch, where it's hard to find fresh fish but I found some fairly good swordfish in Littleton, frozen in a vacuum-sealed pack.  I made the rice side dish, again, in case the kids didn't like the swiss chard, but they did!

Before serving, I sprinkled some chopped fresh parsley on the fish.

About the rice.  We don't use pre-seasoned rice mixes because of the sodium.  This was a mixture of brown and wild rice that I cooked in a low-sodium chicken broth (I often use my own no-salt stock but I didn't have any on hand).

Whole Grain French Toast Casserole

I made this wholesome French toast casserole yesterday.  I modified the recipe from the Best Casserole Cookbook because we didn't have half-and-half and substituted whole grain bread and added bananas, which, I think, gave it a rich creaminess.

Use your favorite French toast casserole recipe and substitute whole grain bread, or try this:

Ingredients

Eight thick slices of whole grain bread (from the supermarket's bakery)
2 bananas
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 ts cinnamon
2 tbs sugar
1 ts pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans/1 ts sugar
Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30-40  minutes

French toast casserole recipes always say to prepare the dish the night before.  I didn't plan ahead but wanted to make French toast casserole so I wouldn't have to stand at the griddle all morning.  I went forward with this recipe and after the bread absorbed the mixture, which took about 30 minutes (actually, I should have let it sit a little longer), I baked it and it tasted great.

In bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Generously butter bottom of a casserole dish, layer whole grain bread slices and top with sliced bananas:

Add second layer of bread.  Slowly pour mixture over top letting top layer absorb some of the mixture before reaching the bottom.  (I noticed that, after pouring, the bottom layer was absorbing a lot more of the mixture, so when mixture was half-way absorbed I flipped the sections over with a skinny spatula so the top slices would absorb more.)  When mixture is fully absorbed, dot with butter and place in preheated oven. And bake according to recipe.

While the French toast is baking, chop about a 1/4 cup of pecans, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, and mash until finely mixed. This topping is modified from the cookbook's recipe to reduce the sugar. Blend in1 tablespoon of softened butter. Butter is optional. Spread pecan mixture over top about half way through baking:

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Tourtiere ~ My Memere Made This

An uncomplicated Christmas eve or New Year's eve/day dinner and quite comforting, this traditional French meat pie has become a favorite in our home.  It was my French-Canadian family's annual tradition, served at different times during the holidays depending on who I was visiting. Mostly, it was served on Christmas eve after midnight mass.

While the tourtiere is a traditional pie originating in Quebec (most think so) centuries ago, there are many variations.  Some don't use potatoes, some do.  Some use breadcrumbs instead of potatoes.  Some combine pork and ground beef, or some just use ground beef and so forth.  You too can make changes to suit you.

French Meat Pie Recipe (makes two pies):

3 lbs of ground pork
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, skins left on (2 potatoes for every pound of pork, if you want a meatier pie, use 1 potato per pound of meat but more meat will be needed to fill the pies)
1/2 ts of cinnamon
3/4 ts of poultry seasoning
1/4 ts of nutmeg (I use freshly grated)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs butter, can vary depending on the size of the potatoes
Pastry for two two-crust pies (Your favorite recipe or store-bought. I used pie sheets from Immaculate Baking Co.)

Boil potatoes, whole or halved, with skins on until fork tender.  Meanwhile, saute chopped onion until translucent.  Add meat and saute until just browned.  Remove from stove, drain fat, and in a large bowl mix meat with cinnamon, poultry seasoning, and nutmeg.   When potatoes are tender, remove from water and place in a separate bowl (including the skins for more nutritional value)  and break up with a spoon adding butter, salt and pepper to taste (keeping them lumpy).   Add potatoes to meat and mix together (the potatoes should bind the mixture, but if not you can add an egg).  Lay a sheet of pastry in each pie dish.  Add equal amounts of filling to each.  Top each with another sheet of pastry.  Slit holes in top, crimp edges, and wrap with foil to protect from burning.  Heat in oven at 350 degrees until the crust is done, about 45 min.

Can be served with ketchup.  I can't explain it - it's just what my family did!

The pies can be frozen for a few months. Make extra and take one out when you're too busy too cook.

Enjoy it for breakfast as well.

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2011 update: for the version using fresh herbs and spices and homemade crust, click here.

These Candy Canes Are Not For Decorating!

I'm so excited!  The candy canes I ordered from Zoe's Chocolates, www.zoeschocolates.com, have finally arrived.

These are not those average sugar sticks we're so use to, decorate our tree with, or turn into reindeer for our kids to pass out to school friends.

These are "porcelain-like" handcrafted candy canes. No two are alike. A "true artisanal creation" made by the Tsoukatos family in Pennsylvania.  They taste refreshing with bright flavors of cinnamon, anise and peppermint.

They're so good they make me giddy!

Voted best candy canes in the world by Saveur Magazine, http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Cool-Canes.

Beautifully packaged. A delightful gift, indeed!

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No compensation was received. This is just something I love and want to share.