Sushi Night

Three years ago tonight, I met my husband for the first time. We had sushi at Miso, in downtown New Haven. It was Memorial Day in 2006. We went back to Miso the night we got engaged (September 1, 2007). So, in honor of the day, we made sushi at home tonight. We came up with a great new combination for filling - avocado, asparagus and cream cheese. Mmm. And, we made so much that we're having sushi for breakfast tomorrow!

Marinated Navy Beans & Zucchini

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup snipped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 (15 oz) cans navy or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 dill pickles, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
dark green lettuce leaves for serving (optional)

1) In large bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, parsley and lemon juice until well blended.
2) Add beans, pickle, zucchini, bell pepper and scallion and toss gently. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve over lettuce leaves or cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour.

Review: I made this last night and let it refrigerate for 24 hours. It was delicious. I was saddened by how little it made, as Mike and I both went back for seconds and then didn't have enough for lunches the next day (though we still had paella!).

Artichoke Paella

1/2 tsp saffron threads
2 Tbs hot water
3 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs dried minced onion
1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
15 oz can chickpeas, drained
15 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 1/2 cups medium-grain paella rice
5 1/2 cups simmering vegetable stock
8 oz green beans, blanched
salt and pepper

1) Put the saffron threads and water in a small bowl and let infuse for a few minutes.
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a paella pan and cook the onion and zucchini over medium heat, stirring for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, cayenne pepper and saffron (and it's water), and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and artichokes, and cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
3) Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until the rice is glossy and coated. Pour in most of the hot stock and bring to a boil, then let simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Do not stir during cooking, but shake the pan once or twice. Add the green beans and season. Shake the pan and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the rice grains are plump and cooked. If the liquid is absorbed too quickly, pour in a little more hot stock, then shake the pan to spread the liquid through the paella.
4) When all the liquid has been absorbed and you detect a faint toasty aroma coming from the rice, remove from the heat immediately to prevent burning. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel or foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve direct from the pan.

Review: As I type this, I realize I forgot to add the green beans. Oops. I used bulgur instead of rice, which halved the cooking time and almost halved the amount of stock needed. I guess I skipped the second half of 3) and forgot about the poor beans. This was yummy even without them and made 6 bowls of food!

Warm Red Lentil Salad With Goat Cheese

2 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp grated fresh gingerroot
1 1/2 cups split red lentils
3 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbs chopped fresh mint
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
7 oz baby spinach leaves
1 tsp hazelnut oil
5 1/2 oz soft goat cheese
4 Tbs strained plain yogurt
pepper

1) Heat half the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the cumin seeds, garlic and gingerroot, and cook for 2 minuts, stirring constantly.
2) Stir in the lentils, then add the stock, a ladleful at a time, until is is all absorbed, stirring constantly - this will take about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs.
3) Toss the spinach in the hazelnut oil in a bowl, then divide among 4 serving plates.
4) Mash the goat cheese with the yogurt in a small bowl and season with pepper.
5) Divide the lentils among the serving plates and top with the goat cheese mixture.

Review: I changed a few things. I realized while making this that I didn't have cilantro or mint in my freezer anymore. After eating this without those flavors, I can't imagine using them! I also don't have hazelnut oil and doubted it would be a useful purpose. Therefore, I bought a handful of hazelnuts, chopped them and added them to the goat cheese mixture. This was such a delicious recipe! I thought it would be odd when I read it, but after eating it, I was upset that I didn't have more! Though, it made about 4 servings. :)

Braised Celery Root With Chickpeas & Saffron

2 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 pinch saffron
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs dried minced onion
4 cups diced, peeled, celery root
2 15oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs drained capers
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1) Bring 1 cup broth to a boil in small saucepan. Stir in saffron, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 cup vegetable broth, saffron-broth mixture, celery root, chickpeas, capers and red pepper flakes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until celery root cubes are tender when pierced with tip of knife. Stir in pine nuts and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper; and sprinkle with parsley.

Review: Mike was convinced celery root was going to be another one of those things that isn't found in Idaho. Personally, I think it's odd to have celery root and not escarole, but what do I know? This had to be the ugliest produce we've ever bought. We had to peel it by shaving off the sides with a large knife. The consistency of the root reminded us of styrofoam. So, we were hesitant to actually try this, but we were pleasantly surprised. It tastes mildly of celery, with an interesting (almost perfumey) aftertaste. I loved this dish, though. I also altered it, as it calls for an entire gram of saffron. With the bargain I got in CT, that would have been $8 worth of spices. On average, we're talking about close to $20 worth of spice. That's outlandish and using a pinch was enough to flavor the dish nicely.

Spaghetti With Spinach & Mushrooms

1 box spaghetti, broken into thirds
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs harissa, or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp saffron threads
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb spinach, coarsely chopped
1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Place pasta on baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden, shaking pan once or twice to brown evenly.
2) Bring vegetable broth, 3 cups of water, tomato paste, harissa and saffron to a simmer in saucepan. Reduce heat to low, and keep warm.
3) Heat large stockpot over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, and cook 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in pasta and 2 cups hot broth. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add spinach, chickpeas and remaining broth. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes more, or until noodles are tender and most of broth is absorbed, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Review: This had a yummy nutty taste from baking the spaghetti. The dish was also pretty easy to make. I was fortunate enough to find cheap saffron (I didn't think it was possible!) at the New Canaan Food Emporium for $3.97!!! So, there will be several upcoming saffron recipes. And, I have no idea what harissa is (and just knew there would be no point in looking for it in Idaho), so I used red pepper flakes. Mmmm, yummy.

Black Bean & Mozzarella Bowl

1/4 cup smoked tomato vinaigrette
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
8 oz smoked mozzarella, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1) In a large bowl, combine vinaigrette, beans, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2) Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and pan-roast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir corn and remaining ingredients into black bean mixture and toss together.
3) Chill until ready to serve. Divide evenly into four salad bowls.

Review: I've never seen smoked tomato vinaigrette, and I still haven't seen it. I simply omitted the "dressing" portion of the recipe. I instead tossed the seasonings with a bit of olive oil to coat the veggies. So, this was kind of bland. It probably would have been better with the vinaigrette, but Idaho seems to lack a few options. :(