Maple Glazed Vegetables

Given enough time between the end of The Day Job and supper time, I would roast root vegetables and squash just about every day. I had been half-heartedly looking for something new and a bit different to do with my roasted veggies when I came across a recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson that included an intriguing glaze: a combination of maple syrup, garlic, olive oil, and spicy red pepper.

And, yow!, was this fabulous! Never mind that winter squash cubes are already sweet on their own, they’re wildly enhanced by this wonderfully flavorful glaze. I also happened to have some purple potatoes from the CSA, so I made my glazed vegetable roast with roughly equal parts squash and potatoes. You could use a variety of winter vegetables, but I do think that balancing some of the sweeter ones with something mild like potatoes would keep this less cloying. Something sharper like rutabaga might be good, too.

I was concerned about so much sugar in the glaze burning before the vegetables were cooked, so I started the vegetables with just salt, pepper, and olive oil at a higher temperature. I reduced the temperature after pouring on about ¾ of the glaze to cook the vegetables the rest of the way and give them a somewhat sticky, caramelized glaze. When all was done, I tossed the glazed vegetables with the rest of the glaze mixture to give them even more flavor.

Yes, the results here are sweet, but the somewhat exotic combination of maple and garlic is really quite lovely. The extra pop from some chile pepper makes it even more exciting (although you could leave it out if you don’t want the spice). The sort of caramel-y coating on the vegetables is taken to the savory side in just the right, if slightly unexpected, way.

This style of roasting a vegetable or two is really a winner, and I’m quite excited about it. I plan to vary the vegetables, and perhaps even add some complexity with other favorite flavors - I’m thinking soy sauce, rice vinegar, maybe something smoky. I’m almost happy that winter will be around for quite a while yet, so I have plenty of time to make and enjoy more servings of this delightful dish.

Maple Glazed Winter Squash and Potatoes

Based on a recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

You can use any winter squash here, such as butternut, buttercup, Hubbard, or Red Kuri. You also could use any kind of potato, or use different winter vegetables altogether, such as sweet potatoes and rutabaga.

4 cups peeled, cubed winter squash (about 1 pound of squash)

4 cups cubed potatoes (no need to peel if skins are well-scrubbed)

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided

A few grinds of black pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup maple syrup

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the squash and potato cubes in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss together to coat the vegetables well.

2. Transfer the vegetables to a roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast at 400 F for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic cloves. Sprinkle the remaining salt on top of the garlic on the cutting board. Continue chopping and scraping the salt and garlic together with the side of the knife to make a paste. (This method is described in this post.)

4. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl, scraping all of it up from the cutting board. Add the maple syrup, crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk together to combine well.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Pour about ¾ of the garlic-maple mixture over the squash and potatoes and stir well to coat. Continue to roast at 350 F, turning once or twice, for about 30-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender, and the coating is sticky and beginning to caramelize. If at any point the glaze seems to be burning, discontinue cooking.

6. Pour the remaining glaze mixture over the hot vegetables and stir to coat. Serve hot.

Makes about 6 side-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Broccoli with Sweet and Spicy Almond Sauce, Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Winter Vegetables and Sausage (great with chickpeas in place of the sausage), Roasted Autumn Vegetable Salad with Molasses Mustard Vinaigrette

Potato and Kraut Cakes

If you were to search for sauerkraut on this site, you will find only that this dish reminds me of something sauerkraut-like and this soup would be good served with a side of sauerkraut. This could mean that I haven’t made anything at all with sauerkraut in about 3 and a half years. The kraut drought ends now!

 

And how! (Sorry, I’ve been watching too many Three Stooges shorts.) These potato cakes are fabulous, and all the more so because they’re not served with sauerkraut. They are sauerkraut. In fact, by volume, there’s about the same amount of sauerkraut as there is grated potato. There’s so much sauerkraut in these potato cakes that they can’t help but be highly flavorful. 

 

I was also concerned that all that sauerkraut would not allow the potatoes to hold together in patty form, that they would be soggy and fall apart when flipped in the pan. A couple of things prevented that. First, the kraut should be squeezed dry before added to the potato mixture. The less liquid there is, the stickier the mixture can be.  Second, I made the patties smaller than suggested by the original recipe, which came from Food Network Magazine. Smaller cakes have less chance of being weak in the middle and I found that the smaller I made them, the easier they were to flip over in one piece. I made 6 or 7 patties from this mixture, and I think you could make even smaller ones, or tiny cakes to serve as appetizers.

 
I was really pleasantly surprised by the good, strong, well-balanced flavor of these potato-kraut patties. The starchy potato mellows the intensity of the sauerkraut even as the sauerkraut punches up the potatoes. The mustard was a bonus addition, one that wasn’t in the original recipe, but which I loved nonetheless. I also adapted the warm sauce in the original recipe into a simple sour cream and mustard garnish. Since I used a rather spicy mustard, the whole flavor experience was quite intense.

I could eat these potato cakes as a meal all alone (and I did bring a couple of them to work for lunch one day), but they’d be great alongside ham or kielbasa. They also were great with a side of bratwurst on a bun with even more sauerkraut. Indoor tailgate heaven, I think.

 

 

Potato and Sauerkraut Cakes

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

You can leave the skins on the potatoes or remove them as you wish. I found that as I grated the partially-cooked potatoes, most of the skin slipped off in one large piece.

¾ pound waxy potatoes (I used small red potatoes)

1 pound sauerkraut
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup finely chopped scallions
1 teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon spicy whole grain mustard

canola or vegetable oil for frying

 ¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons spicy whole grain mustard

1. Pierce the potato skins all over with a fork. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high power for about 3 minutes to partially cook. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

2. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the sauerkraut, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. Place the drained sauerkraut in a bowl.

3. Preheat oven to 200 F. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, grate them on the large holes of a box grater (skins and all if desired, although the skins are likely to come off in one piece and can then be discarded).  Add the grated potatoes to the bowl with the sauerkraut. Add the parsley, eggs, scallions, salt, pepper, flour and 1 tablespoon mustard. Stir together to combine.

4. Heat the oil in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet over medium heat. Form the potato mixture into 6 to 8 patties and fry in batches in the hot oil until brown on each side, about 15 minutes total. Remove from the pan with a spatula and keep warm in a 200 F. Oven until ready to serve.

5. Combine the sour cream and 2 tablespoons mustard and stir until smooth. Serve the potato cakes with a dollop of the sour cream mixture.

Makes 4-6 servings.

 

Another recipe like this one: Potato Patties with Fresh Cheese and Scallions

Potato Soup with Garlic Scapes

I remember the day being a bit gloomy, but I couldn’t tell you the season. Mom decided she would make potato soup. She then decided it would be creamy potato soup, although I don’t recall that she added any dairy. A good handful of fresh parsley was added at some point, and the resulting soup was a sort if iridescent green. And it was fabulously delicious.

Of course, that was likely at least 20 years before I even considered writing a recipe blog (we didn’t even have a computer in the house), so exactly what went into that soup never was properly recorded. All we have is the beautiful memory of the fleeting wonder that is improvised perfection, gone but never forgotten. I think I’ve been afraid to try to duplicate it all these years, sure that I’ll never achieve anything equal to that memory.

 

Well, I thought of that soup as I was making this one. I realized I was probably doing pretty much what Mom had done, keeping things simple and using what was on hand. What was on hand happened to be a big bundle of garlic scapes, the tube-shaped immature flower clusters that form on hardneck garlic plants. You’ll probably have a hard time finding these in supermarkets, but check your local farmer’s market or natural food stores that stock local ingredients. They are mildly garlicky in flavor, and I like to substitute a handful of them for a few garlic cloves in recipes this time of year.

As I said, I kept this soup very simple, simmering the potatoes and garlic scapes in water, then pureeing the soup to a rich velvety texture that I didn’t even need to enhance with anything creamy. For some subtle flavor additions I stirred in a few splashes of tamari (you could use regular soy sauce), some sesame oil and chopped fresh chives from my own backyard.

I don’t know what made me think the Asian flavors should be included in this soup, although I have a sneaking suspicion that this salad had some influence. The soy sauce and sesame oil were nice companions to the gentle garlic flavor of the scapes, and anyone who has ever put chives on a baked potato knows that they belonged here, too. The flavors are mild, so you could adjust them if you want something snappier. I liked the simplicity of this recipe, but good tasting potatoes are essential. It may not the same as Mom’s improvised parsley-potato soup, but it’s good…and I wrote down what I did so I can do it again.

Potato and Garlic Scape Soup with Chives

The salt will probably need the most adjustment to taste here. This recipe is fairly mild and its saltiness will depend on that of your soy sauce or tamari.

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or peanut

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped garlic scapes
4 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil (or infused sesame oil)
about ¼ to 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until soft but not yet browned.

2. Add the potato and garlic scapes. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the potatoes from sticking to the pan.

3. Add the water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. (Time is likely to depend on the type of potatoes you use and how small you cut them.)

4. Remove from the heat. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender until very smooth. Stir in the chives. Taste and add salt or other seasonings as desired. Garnish with additional chives or chive flowers if you have them.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

 

Other recipes like this one: Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup, Cream of Carrot and Parsnip Soup

One year ago: Rhubarb Custard Bars

Three Years and Fried Potatoes

My brother and his fabulous lady friend recently went on a very strict diet. It might be described as a modified low-carb diet with emphasis on lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. I, personally, would describe it as starvation. Well, the diet did seem to have good results, and, a little envious of the dieters’ determination (they did this thing for 40 days!), I thought perhaps I should try something like that. But then I came to my senses. What, after all, would I be able to post to The Messy Apron if I was eating like that?

Today marks the beginning of the fourth year of this silly little project and I am forced to admit that I’m addicted. I base my grocery list on what I want to post. I get nervous if I haven’t tried a successful new recipe in a few days. The camera is never far from the sunny spot under the window in the living room where I take most of my shots (the kitchen windows don’t let in enough light most of the time.) I’m constantly thinking of what I’m going to write about each ingredient and recipe. This is the way I do things now. The Messy Apron is a lifestyle.

If I’m going to be honest with you, I have to say that this last year or so has not been good for me on a personal level. No matter how sad, lonely, worrisome or frustrating things get, however, I’m not the type to lose my appetite. In fact, I’m not even the type to lose interest in cooking or baking or trying new dishes or writing about them. Like Grandpa Vic always said, you gotta eat something, and I’ve been fortunate enough to always have something to eat, and to have the time, interest, and skill to make that something pretty good.

That doesn’t mean that everything has to be all fancy and trendy all the time. There is a time and place for something as humble (though delicious) as fried potatoes. In fact, there are many times and many places for fried potatoes. Last weekend in my kitchen, is just one of them. I partially cooked some russet potatoes in the microwave (leaving their skins on) the night before, then chopped them up and cooked them in butter in a cast iron pan the next morning. I love scallions with fried potatoes, so I added a finely chopped one, and I happened to have some leftover Easter ham that went in as well. Perfectly delicious, simple happiness without a lot of fuss. You can make these any time for any meal. I just happen to like them alongside an over-easy fried egg and toasted whole wheat bread.

Fried Potatoes with Scallions and Ham may not be part of a restrictive weight-loss diet, but they are part of The Messy Apron diet, which means they are something I made, photographed, and wrote about on these pages. Nothing profound, nothing extraordinary. After three years, I think it’s safe to say that such is how I do things, and I think we can all expect a lot more of the same in The Messy Apron’s year four. Happy birthday, you messy little blog. You’ve been a good friend to this hungry cook!

My newest imaginary friend, which I created in October, is a blog on the books I’m reading, The Distractible Reader. Drop by any time!


Fried Potatoes with Scallions and Ham
You could use any cooked potatoes for this recipe. I recommend cooking them by boiling or in the microwave (see below) with their skins on, then cooling them before cutting them to fry. They seem to hold together best when prepared this way.

You could add other things to these potatoes as well, such as bacon, cheese or bell peppers.

1 – 1 ½ pounds potatoes (or start with cooked potatoes)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ - ¾ teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
1 scallion, finely chopped
about ½ cup diced, fully cooked ham
a few grinds fresh black pepper

1. (If starting with cooked potatoes, skip this step.) Pierce the skin of the potatoes all over with a sharp knife or fork. Place the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 3 minutes. Rearrange the potatoes in the bowl (Use an oven mitt or towel to handle them. They are very hot.) Microwave about 2 minutes more or until the flesh gives when squeezed. (Again, they are hot so use some protection for your hands.) Allow the potatoes to cool a few hours or overnight.

2. Chop the potatoes into about 1-inch cubes. Melt the butter in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and salt. Cook the potatoes in the butter over medium heat until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally. (I like to use a spatula to get under them better.) This could take 20-30 minutes.

3. Stir in the scallion and cook until the scallion is well wilted. Stir in the ham and cook about 3 minutes more, or until the ham is heated through. Taste the potatoes for salt and add more if desired. Stir in the pepper.

Makes 3-4 servings.


Other recipes like this one: Grilled Potatoes with Lime-Herb Dipping Sauce, Red Flannel Hash with Spicy Mustard

See the sidebar to the right for a link to all of my favorite recipes from the month of April.

Potato Cheese Patties

I used to make these little potato and fresh cheese patties fairly often, but, since I’ve never written about them in these pages, that must mean I haven’t made them since before April 16, 2009 when I started this blog. I’m absolutely certain I would have told you about them if I had.

These potato patties are pleasantly easy to make. Really, they’re just mashed potatoes flavored with fresh cheese, scallions and a few dashes of seasoning (which you could totally customize to your own taste), formed into cakes and browned in a pan. Most of the time required to make them is spent waiting around (or doing something else if you’re one of those people) first while the potatoes cook and cool, then while the patties chill until firm.

I made the queso fresco for these this time, using the recipe for “Fresh Cheese, the Easy Way” in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. The method is the same as for this homemade cottage cheese (also from that cookbook). The curds are just squeezed together and drained longer to make a firmer cheese. Of course, you could use store-bought queso fresco and I think other shredded cheeses, such as cheddar or Monterey Jack, would work, too.

The original recipe is titled “Ecuadorean Potato-and-Cheese Patties” (or Llapingachos Ecuatorianos), but I definitely took them out of Ecuador by adding Aleppo pepper, which has its roots in Syria and Turkey. You wouldn’t have to use Aleppo pepper (I just happen to love it), and could replace it with crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne, or you could leave it out entirely for a less spicy potato patty. I like to serve these with salsa and sour cream on top, but if you’ve got good fresh tomatoes or a nice fresh pico de gallo in season, that would be fabulous, too.

In fact, you could change a lot of things in this recipe to make it more to your taste. I think the proportions of the main ingredients are just about right for a potato cake that holds together well, so I probably wouldn’t mess too much with that. Other seasonings, such as curry powder might be welcome in taking these in another direction, and, as I suggested above, other cheeses would probably be good as well. I really have to go back to making these deliciously simple little potato cakes more often, although with all the variations I could try, they may never go back to Ecuador again.

Potato Patties with Fresh Cheese and Scallions
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine, April 2001

I really recommend using a starchy baking potato for this recipe. When I’ve tried other types, such as red boiling potatoes, the patties did not hold together well.

1 ¼- 1 ½ pounds Russet or other baking potatoes
1 ¾ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
1 medium scallion, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2-3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil for frying

1. Peel and coarsely chop the potatoes. Place them in a medium-size pot. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt and enough water to cover the potatoes by a few inches. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes and place them in a medium-size bowl. Mash with a potato masher until well-smashed. Some small potato chunks are okay. Set aside to cool about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

3. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, queso fresco, scallion, cumin, chili powder, and Aleppo pepper. Stir until well combined.

4. Form the potato mixture into patties about 2 ½-3 inches in diameter. (You should get about 12 of them.) Place them in a single layer on a pan or tray and chill about 20 minutes or until firm.

5. Film the surface of a large (preferably nonstick) skillet with canola oil (about 1-2 tablespoons). Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Place as many potato patties in the pan as will fit without crowding. Cook 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and continue to cook 3-5 minutes more or until browned. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining chilled patties, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Serve with salsa or pico de gallo and sour cream.

Makes about 12 patties, or about 4 servings. These are great for any meal, and leftovers are nice at breakfast.

Other recipes like this one: Grilled Potatoes with Lime-Herb Dipping Sauce, Spicy Potato and Tomato Gratin with Caramelized Onions

Two years ago: Celeriac, Potato and Wild Rice Soup

Soup for Supper

When I made this soup, it seemed a quaint reminder of when it used to get cold this time of year, and one liked a bit of hearty soup for supper to help keep oneself warm. Though it wasn’t particularly cold outside, I happened to have lots of lovely red potatoes, many nice, large leeks, one honking huge head of Napa cabbage, and a soup recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook. The days were getting shorter, even if they weren’t as cold as they have since become, and I was feeling a little under the weather, so soup it would be.

This soup is creamy but manages to remain light-feeling because the creaminess is provided by reduced fat cream cheese rather than cream. I also sneaked in some Gruyere cheese, which I love in cream soups with potatoes. The cheese brought along some additional richness, but not so much as to leave and oil slick on the soup. Its sharp, nutty flavor is subtle alongside the cabbage and the spices, but it’s definitely there, and is worth stirring in.

Speaking of the spices, the original recipe called for caraway, which is a no-brainer with cabbage as far as I’m concerned, but I also added some coriander seed to go along with it. I like the combination, and the coriander gives the stoic, storage-vegetable taste of cabbage and potatoes a bit of a citrusy lift. I coarsely ground whole spices, which I think results in the most flavor, and I didn’t mind the extra pop of spice that the little pieces gave to each spoonful.

I used Napa cabbage here, because that’s what I had, but the original recipe called for green cabbage. I think the Napa, which is leafier and less crunchy, may have cooked more quickly than regular green cabbage, but not so much as to require a major change in the recipe instructions. Savoy cabbage would probably also be good, although I find is flavor to be stronger, so be ready for that.

To save time and dish-washing, I used an immersion blender to puree the soup. It leaves behind some fibers and spice bits that the regular blender might pulverize, but I don’t mind if my creamy soup has a little substance as well. This was one of those simple recipes that I had a feeling I’d start making pretty often, especially if a bit of cabbage or a few potatoes need using up. If, however, I keep making it as long as that gigantic cabbage lasts, I might have my fill of the stuff until next winter.


Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

While I used chicken broth in this recipe, you could use vegetable broth or water to make the soup vegetarian.

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts, well washed
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
4 cups chopped Napa cabbage (or other green cabbage)
2 cups sliced peeled potato
3 cups chicken broth (I used fat-free reduced-sodium)
3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
½ cup (about 2 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other large soup pot. Add the leeks and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes, lifting the lid to stir occasionally.

2. Pulse the caraway seeds and coriander seeds in a spice grinder (I use a coffee grinder) a few times until they are coarsely ground, or crush them with a mortar and pestle.

3. Add the cabbage and the coarsely ground spices to the leek mixture. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is well wilted, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the potatoes and chicken broth. Cover, bring to a boil and cook 25-30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove the soup pot from the heat. Stir in the cream cheese and puree the soup, either with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.

6. When the soup is pureed, stir in the Gruyere cheese. Taste for salt and add more and black pepper to taste. Rewarm if necessary.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Celeriac, Potato and Wild Rice Soup, Cream of Carrot and Parsnip Soup, Sauteed Cabbage with Caraway and Cider Vinegar

One year ago: Crunchy Cabbage, Cauliflower and Apple Salad

A Break in the Weather: Potato-Tomato Gratin

I was thrilled a few days ago when the hot and humid weather decided to go bother someone else and left us with some highs in the mid-70s. I am not what you could call a lover of the heat, and the cooler weather gives me some hope that the world might not be such a terrible place. And I can make something in the oven without feeling like the apartment is going to combust at any moment.


I used one of my blessedly cool afternoons to try out a recipe based on this one from the excellent blog 101 Cookbooks. It’s a gratin of tomatoes and potatoes with caramelized onions and flavorful spices. I’ve had the ingredients to makes this dish, or at least ingredients I thought would probably work, for some time. While the inspiration recipe (which you should check out…the photos are better) called for sliced tomatoes and Yukon gold potatoes, I happened to have lots of cherry tomatoes (some from the CSA and some from my patio garden), and purple potatoes (yes, they’re purple on the inside, too.)


I also had plenty of onions that had overstayed their welcome to use in the caramelized onion layer. I’m probably the last person who should be writing instructions on making caramelized onions. If you were to ask me, I would probably say, “I dunno, just cook them until they get all brown and soft.” Really, I think the key is to cook the onions low and slow and allow for different onions to perform differently based on their moisture and sugar content. Yellow onions seem to make the nicest brown and sweet caramelized onions. I cover the pan for the longest portion of the onion-cooking process so they sort of stew in their own juices, and then, when they look like they’re almost done, I remove the lid and let any remaining liquids boil away allowing the onions to get a little browner and just a little bit sticky. It’s pretty simple, but does take some time. That time, however, is totally worth it. A dish like this one is significantly enhanced by caramelized onions.

It is also enhanced by fresh ingredients and well-chosen spices. I used cumin and coriander to pep up my gratin, along with some slow-burning hot red pepper flakes. All of those flavors worked and played well with the sweet-tart cherry tomatoes and earthy potatoes. Since I flavored the cream with the spices and the cream was slurped up by everything in the dish, there was a good balance of seasoning throughout.



I’m more excited about this recipe than I have been about any new recipes for some time, and I don’t think it’s just because I’m excited about the break in the hot weather that allowed it to be made and enjoyed in more comfort. The juicy tomatoes lend some of their perky acidity to the cream and potatoes, and the caramelized onions add a brilliant sweetness. The smoky spices balance the sweetness and the potatoes, which are also pretty in their exotic purpleness, ground everything and hold it all together. I may just start making this dish even when it’s too hot for the oven. Well, let’s not get too crazy just yet.


Spicy Potato and Tomato Gratin with Caramelized Onions
Based on a recipe from the blog 101 Cookbooks

2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound yellow or white onions, thinly sliced
1½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, divided
¾ pounds potatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch thick)
½ cup heavy cream
1 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs, preferably fresh

1. Combine the cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. To cook the onions, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook about 20 minutes or until the onions are very soft and very brown. (You can prepare the remaining ingredients while this is going on.) Lift the lid to stir occasionally.

3. Remove the lid and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in half of the cumin mixture and set aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium sized bowl, combine the sliced potatoes, cream, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining cumin mixture. Stir to coat the potatoes.

5. Spread half of the cooked onions in the bottom of a 2 quart (or similar size) casserole dish. Layer half of the potatoes over the onions (your clean hands are the best tool for this job). Layer half of the tomatoes over the potatoes.

6. Scoop up a few tablespoons of the cream in the potato mixture and pour it over the tomato layer. Spread the remaining onions over the tomato layer, then the remaining potatoes over the onions. Press down on the potatoes to squash the layers together. Finish with a layer of the remaining tomatoes. Pour the remaining cream mixture evenly over the top.

7. Cover the dish and bake at 350 F for 1 hour. Remove the cover and bake for about 25 minutes more. Check to make sure the potatoes are nice and tender before proceeding to the next step.

8. Combine the breadcrumbs and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Stir together until the crumbs are well moistened with the oil. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the dish. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes at 350 F or until the breadcrumb layer is brown and crunchy. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before serving.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Potatoes Anna with Hidden Beets, Potato and Celeriac Casserole with Baked Eggs

One year ago: Cold Cucumber Soup

Spring Cleaning

Now that it’s spring (or so my Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog calendar insists) I’m increasingly tempted to cheat. Not on my taxes or on my diet (such as it is) or even at Ticket to Ride or Small World. No, instead my eyes gaze longingly at the covers of current cooking magazines and wander through the produce section of the markets. There are new things there. Pretty green things. I want to cheat on the perfectly good locally-grown foods waiting for me at home, just because they’re a little out of season.

Root vegetables and frozen corn and squash have been sitting, uncomplaining and obedient in our freezer and root cellar. Okay, so it’s not really a root cellar, just the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, but many things have kept surprisingly well there all winter. (Except for beets. Beets don’t keep. They lurk.) Despite the temptations of the flirty new spring vegetables, I manage to stay strong. There’s a lot left to enjoy before I break down and buy some asparagus that’s been trucked, flown or shipped in from Mexico, Chile, the Emerald City, or wherever things are green this time of year.

Soup seems to be a good catch-all for whatever is left, no matter what the season. It also still offers some hearty comfort when the days aren’t quite as warm as they look, or spring rains (and melts) threaten to drown your spirit (or your basement). I recently made a good soup with celeriac (aka celery root) which was waiting faithfully to be utilized, and some of the wild rice I had frozen after cooking up a bunch to make this salad.

As I was making this soup, I had The Barefoot Contessa on the TV in the other room. Ina Garten just happened to be making a celeriac remoulade and was speaking of the affinity of the celeriac for mustard. Not one to turn up my nose at such a piece of culinary serendipity, I added some dry mustard to the soup. I was thrilled by the flavor of the final product (I thrill pretty easily, I guess), and I think the mustard made the soup go even better with the Dark Rye Bread I served alongside it.

This is a pretty simple soup. To make a thicker base, I pureed half of it using an immersion blender. (It splattered quite a bit, but that’s what the apron is for!) You could also use a regular blender. Just be careful when pureeing the hot soup. I find it works well to remove the little insert in the top of the blender lid and cover the resulting opening with a folded-up towel while blending. This seems to help keep explosions to a minimum. (The apron can only do so much.)

As I clean out my refrigerator, freezer and cupboards (there’s plenty of stocked-up dried beans and grains, too), I’ll try not to post much that really clashes with the spring season (pumpkin pie for Easter, anyone?) If you’re really eager for springtime fare, I’ve added a new link to the sidebar titled “Favorite Spring Recipes.” It will take you to another set of links to Messy Apron posts containing some of my favorite spring recipes. Happy Spring, whatever you’re eating!

Celeriac, Potato and Wild Rice Soup
Based on a recipe in Cooking Light magazine

I used a homemade vegetable broth for this soup, but you could use canned broth, or chicken broth if it is more convenient.

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, plus more if desired
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup finely chopped carrot
1 medium celeriac (about ¾ pound untrimmed weight), finely chopped
¼ pound potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons half and half
1 cup cooked wild rice

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Saute 3 minutes, or until onion is beginning to soften and turn translucent. Stir in the garlic, pepper and dry mustard. Cook about 1 minute more.

2. Stir in the carrot, celeriac and potatoes. Add the vegetable broth and white wine vinegar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Remove the pot from the heat. Spoon about half of the soup into a bowl (if using an immersion blender) or into a blender container. If using an immersion blender, blend the soup remaining in the pot until well-pureed. If using a conventional blender, blend the removed portion of the soup until well-pureed.

4. Carefully pour the removed soup back into the pot. Stir in the half and half and the wild rice. Taste the soup for salt and add more if desired. Return the pot to the heat to warm through if needed.

Makes about 6 servings.