Off the Shelf: Beet Salad from The Silver Palate

 My friend Robert once called beets "the organ meat of the vegetable world." He was right. Like gizzards, kidneys and such, fresh beets are have a sort of muddy spiritual darkness about them. They come from a inside a living thing in a significantly different way than your average eatables. The beet is like a hard little heart you pull from the earth, and like a heart, it seems to still pulse with life's energy, while it smells like a dead thing. Many people dislike or even fear them, and few know how to cook them anymore.

 Personally, I love 'em.

 As a kid, I don't think I ever ate fresh ones-- they were one of the few vegetables my cook-from-scratch mother bought only in canned or bottled form, along with sauerkraut and spinach. The one time she tried to make fresh spinach back then, it was still too sandy for us kids, and we hated it. Now we all love the fresh, but that is easy when it comes in flat baby leaves, pre-washed in bags.

 Beets are another story.

  Fresh out of the ground, they look like something an alchemist might want to work with-- gnarly, unattractive, dirt-colored and sprouted with strange hairs.  When I peel them, the detritus could almost be a pile of rat tails and hide.

 

 

 Discussions about beets on cooking forums tend to make the best methods for preparing them seem arcane and complicated. But it's not tough to cook fresh beets. It's not even scary, unless you're wearing white, about which I'll say-- Don't. Or you'll soon be wearing white splattered with fuschia. Aside from that, all you need is a cutting board you don't mind getting temporarily stained, a vegetable peeler, and a heavy, sharp knife-- a 6" chef's knife, if you have one.

 Then you can handle them in several ways: roasting them whole and peeling afterwards, peeling them first and roasting whole or chopped, steaming them, peeled or not, or peeling and boiling them chopped. You can even grate them and serve them raw, which is often more appealing to people that believe they dislike the beet.

 I like to peel them first, no matter what. The stain washes off my hands immediately this way, and although I may get a few less of the nutrients that were hanging out under the skin, I'm sanguine about the loss.

In the classic and incredible original Silver Palate Cookbook, beets appear in several lovely dishes, but my favorite of them is the Beet and Roquefort Salad with Walnuts. A vegan variation leaves off the cheese in favor of a sprinkling of fresh dill, and having made each version repeatedly, I can say happily that either is simply delicious.

 I've owned the SP cookbook since my early twenties, and this recipe is the reason! I first tasted it at my late ex-MIL's home, after watching her make it. So enjoyable was the salad, I begged to borrow the book and it's companion tome, The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. It was tough giving them back, but finally I did, and soon after, purchased the pair for my own in hardcover through a cookbook club. I've been using both books, for recipes, tips, and inspiration ever since. I'm happy to share this wonderful, seasonal salad with you now, and so honor the memory of Anginette; a generous, creative cook who taught me several key lessons of the kitchen, and of entertaining, and of family life.


Beet and Roquefort Salad with Walnuts 

8-10 medium sized beets
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp walnut oil
1/2 C shelled walnut halves
1/4 lb imported Roguefort cheese
freshly ground black pepper, to taste


 Wash beets well, and trim stems and roots without piercing the skin. Drop the beets into a large kettle of boiling salted water and cook until tender, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the beets. Drain, cool, and peel beets, and cut into julienne.

 In a mixing bowl toss the beets gently with the vinegar and walnut oil. Taste, and add more of either if you like; there should be just enough to coat the beets. Cover and chill until serving time.

 To serve, toss the walnuts with the chilled beets and arrange in a shallow serving bowl. Allow to return to room temperature. Crumble the Roquefort evenly over the top (or sprinkle generously with chopped fresh dill), and grind on black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 6 to 8 portions.

 That was how I first had it, although I believe Anginette simply sliced her beets. I sometimes do, too, but most often now, I roast the peeled, quartered beets in a Tbsp of olive oil, and use a little more oil in the viniagrette, not the full amount as given. (You may want to use paper towelling to dry the peeled beets on, before roasting, or do what I did and use an old purple napkin that won't take any harm from such use.)

               

 Today I cooked a pumpkin in the oven at the same time as the beets, and roasted the cleaned seeds in oil and sea salt-- so I'm using that oil, seeds removed, in place of the walnut oil, which I'm out of at the moment. The flavor from the pumpkin seeds should help replace the nuttiness, as will toasting the walnuts... using the oven on the second cool day of the month, I made sure to get my money's worth!


(ready to roast!)




 And I'm not chilling the salad, as written above. There are reasons for chilling the beets in their nutty oil-- it helps the simple, strong flavors penetrate them, and the vinegar does its job in the marinade better, too. My way of roasting them brings out their sweet earthiness enough that I can skip the chill if I want, and just let the dressed beets sit awhile before garnishing with the nuts and Roquefort.

 Another change I often make is to use a milder blue cheese, but add instead the bite of a tangier vinegar, like raspberry. I'll often add some dill along with all that. But this time, I've switched up the flavors a bit, roasting a clove of garlic alongside the beets for extra oomph, and sprinkling them beforehand with garam masala from Penzey's. I'm adding a handful of dried sweet cherries, the toasted walnuts are broken smaller to cover more ground, and as a final assault on tradition, I've put Champagne vinegar into the pumpkin-seed flavored oil to make the dressing. These small tweaks have turned an already yummy salad into the main dish of our Sunday Supper. The flavors are still clear and simple, but not as austerely perfect.

 

 And who could believe such a pretty meal came from those nasty looking roots?     


 Have a lovely evening. Peace, Mari

 

Looking Ahead...

 It's good news that gestation crates for pigs are becoming a thing of the past... what about the future? Well, we have to take it slow, I think. Real change comes in time.

Here's a link I happened on today, while reading about the recent promises from Qdoba and Jack-in-the-Box to end their support of that cruel crating practice. There's wisdom in Wayne's post, and I just had to share it.

And I'd like to introduce something else: A new, semi-regular feature here, Off the Shelf will comprise recipes and reviews from my own, and borrowed, cookbooks. The recipes will be given both as originally written, and as adapted by myself in the case of real changes. Similar to Tried and Tweaked Thursdays, but with more history, and perhaps recipes that haven't been tweaked beyond all recognition!
 I hope to learn how to use the blogger categorising gadget very soon. It should make searching veg@large easier for all of us.

 Peace, Mari

A Link to the Future, and Kickin' Green Beans

A not--so-shocking article I found in my email box this a.m.:

http://www.thedailymeal.com/we-may-all-be-vegetarians-40-years


 Enjoy your weekend, and the weather, while the seasons change. Here's a neat little recipe that livens up a picnic. I may have posted it before, but there's getting too much of this tangy salad!

 GREEN BEANS with TWO MUSTARDS from Madhur Jaffrey's Cookbook, adapted by Mari

 

Salt

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 super-full Tbsp dijon mustard

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

5 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds (can use brown, if necessary)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slivers

1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed

 Set a large pot of salted water to boil (should be just slightly saltier than your natural preference).

Put the lemon juice in a small bowl, add the dijon, 1 tsp salt, black pepper and cayenne. Mix and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small cast iron frying pan over medium heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop (this takes just a few seconds), put in the garlic. Stir until the slivers turn a light brown, take pan off heat, and allow to cool slightly. beat the cooled oil mixture into the lemon juice mixture until you have a creamy dressing.

The pot should now be at a rolling boil. Drop in the beans and boil vigorously for 3-5 minutes, just until crisp-tender. Drain thoroughly. Put beans in a large bowl, beat the dressing again and pour it over beans. Toss to mix. Serve cool or at room temp.

 I have found that although you can make both beans and dressing a day ahead, it is best to let the dressing come close to room temp again, and dress the salad just before serving instead of mixing the two way ahead of time; it keeps the beans fresher looking, and avoids greasiness.

 We love this salad, especially with grilled foods. So delicious and savoury.

 Peace, Mari
 

Baking Essentials: Vegan Chocolate Cake

It was a hot and moist day, when I made my mother's birthday cake for an Ice Cream Social Birthday Party this past July. Besides the oppressive heat, there were a few new challenges to meet for Mom's birthday this year.

 Recently, Mom was diagnosed with congestive heart failure; and in the interest of helping her manage that, I'd like to make sure that treats and goodies on special occasions are still special, but not lethal. It's easy to say, "Just this one day will be fine," but those holidays and treats add up. I want to be able to make many more momentous cakes for my mother, so I decided to start immediately with the more healthful alternatives.

 Some in my family were off dairy, for the time being, which is fine with me. There were also small children, and people of all ages, to please.

 Luckily, I had just the cake! It's been in my repertoire for ages, and when Mom requested a dark chocolate cake (she always wants chocolate for her b-day), I knew I had the perfect choice. It's a far cry from the ludicrously rich layer cake I did for Mother's Day; but it has been a reliable company cake for years. It's divinely dark and moist, looks chic, and takes well to any fancying up you might want.

 Plus it's the second simplest chocolate cake to make in the world. You can even mix it in the pan, but I go the extra step and use a bowl. Most versions of this recipe also tell you not to grease the pan, but I have since the second time I made this, because it comes out of the pan better (duh).

 I first found it in Moosewood Cooks at Home, and have since seen many versions, called by different names. They got it from House & Garden magazine in 1976, under the fairly accurate name of Six Minute Chocolate Cake. That's prep time, not baking time. But still, a quick cake, which just happens to be lusciously vegan, and to work well with olive oil, which I prefer to vegetable or canola oil for most uses.

 A few things: It's a light, liquidy batter, so if you want to add chip or nuts of any kind, make them small-- mini-chips, finely chopped nuts, dried cherries chopped very fine-- and sprinkle them over the top just before baking. They'll mix in on their own. The batter is just too light to support heavier items, and those that are mixed in will fall to the bottom, making the cake stick and likely come out of the pan in a broken, messy state.

The lightness makes icing, (if desired), rather than frosting, a better bet, though honestly I tend to serve it with a sauce or fruit couli, or some coffee granita on the side. Killer combo, to me.

 Don't be afraid to change the flavor profile-- if you add chopped nuts or chopped, dried cherries, you might want to lessen the vanilla and add a drop of almond extract. I've also made this with a Mexican Chocolate-inspired spice blend of cinnamon, coriander and ancho chile powder (Penzey's has a good one) and even hotter, cayenne.

 Or try a nice pumpkin pie spice blend, or just ginger, with some finely diced candied ginger on top. Mint extract is a good choice, too, and then you can serve it with a scoop of something cold and vanilla-y, like Tofutti, and a mint leaf garnish, for an elegant presentation.

 This is dark chocolate we're dealing with, so the options are almost limitless. Tweak as desired.

 One last detail: for a chic looking plated dessert,  make this in four or five giant muffin cups-- plan on four, but depending on size, you may get five. You can serve it on whichever side is the prettiest, I like upside down, which makes it look not at all like a cupcake, but more of a restaurant-style personal dessert cake. My average yield is four big cupcakes and a smaller greased ramekin-- cook's treat!

 For my mother's birthday party, I doubled the recipe and made it in my lasagna pan-- the equivalent of a 13x9 oblong pan, or two 9-inch round pans. It doubled flawlessly, and when turned over and iced, looked very glossy and pretty, with a cold cherry puree on the side.


Vegan Deep Chocolate Cake


1 1/2 C unbleached flour

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 C sugar *

1/2 C oil ( I like olive, but you may use canola or vegetable oil)

1 C cold water or cooled brewed coffee

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp vinegar


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan, or other pans as suggested above.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar. Set aside.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and mix the batter with a fork or small whisk, till smooth.

Add vinegar to batter and stir quickly; there will be pale swirls in the batter where the vinegar and bakign soda are reacting. Stir just until vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter, and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or about 20 minutes for cupcakes. The cake is done when you can press a finger very lightly to the middle and it springs back, is dry and set on top, and the cake has pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan on a wire rack at least 15 minutes.

 Serve as suggested above; this cake is very good chilled, too.


 *Tops Markets, and Trader Joe's, both carry Florida Crystals brand sugar, a light turbinado sugar processed without bone char. Beet sugar, although it has a higher glycemic index, is also standardly processed without bone char, and is cheaper than cane sugar. It's the kind you see in every grocery store, that isn't marked as cane, but just as Granulated Sugar.


 Peace, Mari

The Miso of Your Dreams

  A casual mention here of the Miso Dressing from the long defunct The Juicery restaurants in WNY has brought about many requests, recently, for that recipe. For those who have asked, and those that haven't, YET, I submit it here today for your pleasure.

 The dressing was served at The Juicery on several dishes, and was available by request. It's supposed to be fairly thick, a creamily salty, rich, tangy emulsion with just enough sweetness in it, made to balance  the flavors of almost anything you put it on-- green salads with fruits and nuts, a bread and tomato salad, steamed vegetables, in a wrap or sandwich of any sort. I liked it on the Lite Bite: a small green salad of frilly lettuces topped with a large rounded scoop of the Juicery's very rich, cuminy Hummus, flatbread triangles on the side.

 But the uses of this dressing go way beyond. It could easily be a dip, it's a natural, if counterintuitive pairing, with feta and pita and all dishes that go with them, it's wonderful dripped onto a veggie burger, it makes the sliced cuke a snack of the gods, and I'm dying to try it on sweet potato fries. I've enjoyed it with almond butter and lettuce on wheat bread. Of course, it would enhance a vegetarian sushi plate.

 This recipe, given me by a former worker at one of the Juicery Cafes, makes a large quantity-- a gallon, in fact.

 It won't be enough.

 But it does keep very well in the fridge. Or you can do as I often do-- make a smaller quantity using similar proportions* and your own sense of the proper taste/consistency to get it right. If making it as a dip, you may want to scratch the soy, or edit it down to a few drops, and add water just till thick enough, instead of the given proportion.

 As for the oil, we have it on good authority that the restaurant used an olive oil/vegetable oil blend. I use olive oil, with a little extra-virgin thrown in for fruitiness. But it takes well to canola, sunflower, or straight veg oil, or a combination of these. Corn oil is too heavy, IMO.

 As for the miso, white or yellow are first choices for this, but red or darker work too-- you should taste as you go, and adjust. It shouldn't be too salty to lick straight off your finger. And you'll want to lick it off your fingers!

PS-- a little blended into your hummus is out-of-bounds yummy.



The Juicery's Miso Dressing

makes about 1 gallon



8 C oil

4 C water

1/2 C lemon juice

1/2 C honey (vegans can use a slightly lesser amount of agave, and adjust to taste)

1/3 C wine vinegar (they used red)

1/4 C soy sauce

3 tsp chopped garlic

10 oz chopped onion (1 big onion)

1 3/4 C miso paste


 Measure and add all ingredients into large blender. Blend till smooth. Store in refrigerator.



*Proportionally, if you started with one C oil, you'd use a scant 1/2 C water, about 1/4 C miso or less. The rest of the ingredients, you do to taste, adding maybe a 1/4 C chopped onion, a clove minced garlic, and drizzling the liquids in by a tsp at a time. When it tastes delicious, it's right.

 This stuff really is the bomb, as requests for it from several different states/countries will atttest. I hope you try it soon. It's perfect for fall salads, and end-of-summer grillfests.

 Peace, Mari

No-Cook Summer

Despite having more time to cook because of my computer woes (and therefore, less time spent facing a screen) this summer, I haven't much wanted to cook or eat, and I'm sure most of Buffalo feels the same way-- too hot to eat, until it's too late to care.

 But given the past few reasonable, milder days, I have some appetite now-- but still crave cool and fresh over warm and gloppy. That's how I think of cooked food, today.

 It's a good time to make tabbouleh, to have meal-in-a-bowl salads, to buy hummus and pita from Pete's Lebanese Bakery and set out chunks of tomatoes and cukes on the side. It's a good time to let olive oil be the the most fattening non-frozen food we eat. I'd rather have spicy, room temp food than a take-out pizza, even if pizza weren't so expensive to have delivered.

 What about you? How do you cope with an overdose of summer?

Tried and Tweaked Thursday: Bean, Corn & Rice salad

Hot today again in the Buffland, but the breeze is keeping us alive. Yesterday was pure hell, and we're glad it's done. Heat has its effect on our appetites, except for the cat's-- he's as hungry as ever, but as his meals require no application of heat, I don't mind.

It's been a week of salads so far, and there's no end in sight, so I'd like to share one of my oldest, tastiest, easiest meal-worthy salads, with some chopped tomato or avocado on the side, or small quesadillas, maybe.

 Of course it makes a good, substantial second dish, too. From one of my ancient Food & Wine Magazine back issues (January 1986, from an article called "Beautiful Beans"). This is a big hit whenever I make it, and the components are usually hanging around in the pantry.

BEAN, CORN AND RICE SALAD WITH CHILI VINAIGRETTE
6-8 servings


3 1/2 C cooked, converted rice, cooled

1 can (16 oz) pink beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 C cooked fresh corn kernels or 1 12-oz can corn niblets

1/2 C chopped scallions

2 pickled jalapeno peppers, stemmed seeded, deribbed and minced

1/3 C safflower or corn oil**

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp (packed) brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin


 In a large bowl, combine the rice, beans, corn, scallions, and jalapenos. Toss to mix.

 In a small bowl, combine the rest of ingredients. Whisk until sugar dissolves and the mixture is well blended.

 Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature, tossing occasionally, for up to 4 hours before serving, or cover and refrigerate for up to three days.


**Mari's notes-- I have made this with safflower oil, and it is good, but most I use EVOO, and it is good too, though of course doesn't look as pretty just out of the fridge! If you use it, let the salad sit out a bit first, so the oil can liquefy again.

It's a good-looking, somewhat spicy salad, more than the sum of it's parts. Also fine with just a slice or three of sliced pickled jalapenos for those that can take too much heat, and I have made it with fresh chilies of various kinds as well. 

Oh, I always use thawed, frozen corn, except when I was able to get Trader Joe's Cut Sweet Corn, a lovely crisp canned variety that tastes as good as fresh. But I did try once with niblets, and quality ones work well. Kidney or pinto beans are a decent sub, but the pink ones do seem best to me here. Enjoy!

  Peace, Mari