Garden Trout

I had a smoked trout salad a couple weeks ago which reminded me that I really like trout. I rarely eat meat, but when I do it is something I crave and works well with my body which would be trout, turkey or duck. In the company of others, I may deviate from those.

No, the trout was not grown in a garden, but the rest of the ingredients were! So after buying a large bag of veggies at the farmer's market, I stopped by Whole Foods crossing my finger there was fresh trout in the case. YESSSS!

Even though the temperatures here have been hot and humid, I turned on my stove and baked my trout while I minced veggies. The veggies and herbs filled 2/3 of the bowl and I was still mincing so I had to nix some of the veggies to keep room for the fish!

I minced:

1 medium raw orange bell pepper

1 small raw red onion (size of maybe 2 golf balls)

1 small thumb of fresh ginger

1 Tbsp or so of fresh Italian parsley

15-20 steamed green beans

I julienned:

5 leaves of raw swiss chard, stems removed

Tossed in leaves from several sprigs of fresh thyme

Added a few dashes of Himalayan sea salt, a splash of coconut oil, juice of half a lemon

The trout was on 375 til done, maybe 15-20 minutes. I let it cool while I continued to mince, julienne, toss and squeeze; then I added it in large pieces removing any missed bones.

I like the sweetness of the bell pepper, green bean and trout against the pungency of the ginger and thyme with the slight bitterness of the chard and parsley. Nice harmony of flavors!

Dinner for the hot, humid week is served!

Squash Blossoms

The squash blossoms I picked up from the farmer's market Thursday were on my mind when I went out for Italian last night. I didn't want to batter and fry them and I didn't want to make a summer soup.

I decided the flat, square homemade noodles that accompanied the abundance of everything else would be amazing with a chiffonade of blossoms and a little cheese. I headed out to Saturday's farmer's market on a mission for local cheeses! Not my usual food of choice but I was inspired!

Here is what I did:

Olive oil
1 Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 patty pan squash, finely chopped
small handful of Italian parsley, finely chopped
10 zucchini blossoms, quartered from stem to tip
Himalayan sea salt
5-10saffron threads
2 cups vegetable broth, preferably homemade
1 egg yolk
½ lb. pappardelle
Pecorino Romano, finely grated
Small wheel of chevre

Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat for your pasta.

In a large skillet, warm a small amount of olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, patty pan squash, and Italian parsley, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent. Add the zucchini blossoms, a pinch or two of salt, and the saffron, and stir gently to mix. Add about ¾ cup of broth, and stir to combine. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the rest of the broth a splash or two at a time, taking about 5-8 minutes to add it all. Stir frequently. Allow the sauce to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and only a small amount of thickened broth remains in the pan. Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk slightly with a fork.

Cook the pasta until tender but al dente. When the pasta is almost ready, place the zucchini blossom sauce back over medium heat. Use a small measuring spoon, scoop up about 3 Tbs of pasta water and, whisking constantly with a fork, gradually add the hot water to the egg yolk: together, they should make a loose, pale yellow liquid. Pour this mixture into the sauce in the skillet, add small pieces of chevre, stirring well. Using tongs or a spider, scoop the finished pasta from its pot into the skillet, and toss with the sauce over medium heat for about 30 seconds.

Autumn Classes! Fermented Foods in the Kitchen

What have you been looking for? An easy detox, improved digestion, more stable mood, greater energy?

Join me in the kitchen and I will teach you how to accomplish this and more!

Kefir is chock full of probiotics-all the good bacteria your digestive tract needs. Much of your immune system and serotonin production is housed in your gut. Reestablishing the microflora ecosystem will help you feel healthier, happier, more balanced.

• Promotes Healthy Detox
• Rehydrates the Body
• Aids in Weight Loss
• Enhances Mood
• Boosts Energy
• Reduces Allergies and Candida symptoms
• Makes a good hangover cure
• Lifts Depression, Fatigue and much more!

Cultured or Fermented veggies, think sauerkraut and kim chi, are also probiotic-rich. They keep for months in your fridge, just a small amount is medicinal and

• Helps heal your stomach, liver and intestines
• Clears your skin
• Improves your energy
• Tones your intestines and flattens your stomach
• Eases digestion
• Eliminates joint pain
• Enhances immunity

We will get creative in the kitchen

• Learn to make kefir with young coconut water from the mineral rich coconuts at your local market
• Learn to culture your favorite veggies

 COMING UP! Saturday, November 6 at 4 pm

Elemental Health 2225 W. North Ave, Chicago 
$50 Go home with recipes, starter liquid and exactly what you need to feel better!
Pre-registration by November 3 required to hold your space. No refund on cancellation. No walk-in registration


Past classes at Elemental Health

Sunday, September 12 at 6 pm or Tuesday, September 14 at 6:30 pm

VITAL JUICE exclusive class for subscribers 
Sunday, September 19 at 4 pm. Pre-register

Past classes at Be Optimal Holistic Health Center
Saturday, October 9 at 2 pm

Be Optimal Holistic Health Center 1249 Waukegan Road, Glenview

Gazpacho Memories

The humidity of this current summer has called for some cool creative cooking or uncooking as the case may be. I have lived off salad greens with homemade dressings, smoothies, and gazpacho.

This last batch of gazpacho took me back East to my days in Boston. The summers I spent there weren’t unbearable, but I would make gallons of gazpacho with my handy dandy handblender. Returning with bags of produce from Haymarket, I spent my weekends and every evening in the kitchen combining this amazing bounty into dinners. I would sit on my back porch sipping the cool liquid with a little jalapeno bite while my cats lounged under or chased squirrels in our canopy of trees.

So today with my hand dandy Blendtec blender I conjured up some memories with 3 Beefsteak tomatoes, 1 red pepper, ½ medium yellow onion, ½ English cucumber, juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime, ½ cup liquid from some jalapeno sweet pickles (Can use a sliver of jalapeno and a dollop of honey), ½ cup Italian parsley (stems and leaves), 8-10 small red dandelion leaves, a pinch or two of pink Himalayan salt, 1 cup or more of water. (From the veggies above, I minced by hand ½ a tomato, ¼ red pepper, ¼ of the cucumber and added those to the pureed mix)

Thanks to the dandelion leaves this version won’t be the light bright red of a traditional gazpacho, it will be brown. The dandelion leaves are internally cooling and a diuretic and a great toning medicinal for the Liver, high in Vitamins A, K and calcium and iron. The parsley is high in Vitamins C and A and folic acid and increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood.


Blendtec Home TB-621-20 1,560-Watt Total Blender, Black

Bastille Day

I am a francophile. I celebrate Bastille Day. It is one of my favorite days to create food and share with others. Marinated beans, pates, fruit, cheese, crusty bread and wine. Accordion and piano cafe music. Friends. 

That day's event over 220 years ago is seen as the symbol for the uprising of the modern nation. At the foundation of all that cooking and celebrating I do each year, I envision  that this year will be the uprising of a more enlightened consciousness. 

So here's some food to create and share as you envision that uprising.

                                                    celebrate!

Marinated White Beans

Sometimes creative cooks don't write recipes down. When the person who enjoyed this left my circle, I stopped making it and the mental recipe vanished. This is pretty close:

1 cup of white beans, dried

4 cups of water

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Wash the beans and soak overnight. Combine the beans with the water, oil and garlic and salt. Simmer until tender up to 2 hours. You do this slowly because you want them intact. Try a few; you want them tender not mushy or soft. Drain and remove the garlic cloves. Place beans in a bowl.

Marinade

 1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup of white wine vinegar (sometimes I used tarragon vinegar)

3 T. chopped parsley

several sprigs of chopped rosemary

salt and pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients and pour over the bowl of beans. This should completely or just cover the beans. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Fava beans and Olives

I wasn't a big fava bean fan but with olives anything is amazing! 

2 cups of cooked fava beans

1 cup of green olives, pitted and sliced (get some good ones from the olive bar at your local grocer or deli)

Olive oil

Salt

Combine the four ingredients. Place in baking dish large enough that everything is just one layer. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Watch it closely and stir occasionally. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices. 

You can also puree either of these beans, fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil and make a bean pate. YUM! slather it on crusty bread or flax or sprouted crackers with olives and tomatoes!

Figs and Fennel

Figs are one of those short season fruits. Right now is the time to grab a pint of Black Mission Figs, a bulb of Fennel and a Red Pepper and make this salad.

6 large figs, I prefer Black Mission

Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar and salt

2 T. minced sweet onion or shallot

Slice in rounds about 1/4" thick. Place on plate, drizzle with oil and vinegar, cover with the onion or shallot, sprinkle with salt. Marinate at room temp for an hour

Red Peppers

You can buy these already roasted and marinated or you can do this yourself:

2 peppers, slice and core out seeds, stem and white part

Coat with olive oil

Place cut side down on foiled baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min til peppers soften and skin starts to raise. Remove from oven and place peppers in covered dish to steam the skin separate. When peppers are cool enough to hold, remove the skins.

2 roasted peppers

2 T minced onion or shallot

Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar and salt

Toss the roasted peppers with shallots, oil and vinegar and salt to taste. Marinate for 1 hour.

Fennel

1 small fennel bulb, trim top down to the bulb

Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar and salt

Cut into paper thin slices until you have a 1/2 cup of shavings. Place fennel into bowl of cold water and will keep for a few hours. 

Reduce some balsamic vinegar until you have about a tablespoon of glaze, mix with a 1/4 cup of oil (fennel oil if you have it). Pat the fennel shavings dry and toss with this oil and glaze.

Place a few fig rounds on a plate, place the peppers over the figs and top with another fig round and stack the fennel shavings on the top of it all!